Glorified
by PonyRawr
Summary: Emmy's missed half of her school year at Asagao. All the drama of Hana's over, but a new story is just around the corner. Rated T for mild language, violence, and romance. And cuz i'm just nervous. Takes place post-PBG route
1. Chapter One - Welcome Back

**Woah. It feels weird to be back after so long.**

 **Anyways, I've been writing this for myself so far, and thought, "Wow, this is fun. Maybe if I post it online it will inspire me to write more.**

 **So here we are. Sorry if this looks weird for a few chapters, I've gotta get used to this format.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Emmy saw the black iron gate from a distance, it's intimidating height already looming over her. It felt a lot longer since she'd been back; however, she knew it had only been a semester. She'd only come to the school for maybe a week when she had to go into the hospital. While walking the city over the weekend, she had been attacked in an alleyway. One of her eyes was injured during the fight, and she had to go in for a semester long recovery.

The long hiatus from school meant she had to learn from the doctors in the time she wasn't recovering. She hadn't really seen another kid during then.

As she walked through the open gate, she took a few deep breaths. The school-issued jacket she wore was a size too small, but since it wasn't really hers she couldn't complain. Emmy remembered how well it had fit the last semester, and sighed.

 _Hopefully it won't be too different…_ she thought, nearing the front office. She started feeling the weight of her guitar case on her back after the long walk from the train station. It was probably her heaviest belonging, the rest of her items being clothes and a bit of necessities. She wasn't one to overpack.

Emmy pushed open the building doors, seeing an old woman at the front desk. She had warm eyes, and a welcoming smile that helped Emmy relax just a little.

She took a deep breath, and responded, saying, "Hello ma'am. I'm a returning student, Emmy Wadetin. I'm the student who left because of sudden injury last semester."

The woman seemed to think to himself, and in a sudden moment of realization, reached into a drawer and grabbed out a folder. She read out loud, "Wadetin, Emmy. Second Year. Room 427. This folder has your key, schedule, homeroom, and lunch card."

Emmy reached out and grabbed the folder from her. She bowed, and just as she was about to leave, she heard the woman call out from behind her. "Welcome back to Asagao."

 _Room 425, 426, there! Room 427!_ Emmy counted out the rooms in her head, finally reaching hers. She grabbed the key from the folder, clicking into the lock. She turned it, opening the door slowly. She heard loud crashing from the other side, and before she could open the door to see what'd happened, the door was swung open to reveal a familiar face.

"Emmy! You're back!" A girl with a burnt umber pixie-cut swept her up into a hug, causing Emmy to drop her bag. "I missed you a whole lot!" The girl couldn't stop giggling.

Emmy chuckled, "Glad to see you missed me. I like the hair," she remarked, noticing how short her friend's hair was from her waist-long hair from last time she'd seen her.

The girl seemed to realize what she meant. "Oh yeah! My mom had a friend who makes wigs, and she decided to sign me up for a haircut _without telling me_ ," she grumbled, reaching up to feel her head.

Smiling, Emmy replied, "I think it looks fine, Saniya." Emmy walked into the room past her, setting down her guitar by an empty white desk. She looked around. "Sweet! No bunk beds!" Instead there were two beds on opposite sides of the room, each in a little indent in the wall. Two dressers were placed on the wall between the two beds, with a single closet in the middle. Two chairs were facing each other on one side of the room, and the desk she had put her stuff down at was right next to an identical one. Well, identical aside from the intense clutter.

Saniya had picked up a book from her desk and walked over to a bed with red and silver bedding. Her school issued outfit hung on a rung on the wall at the end of her bed. Saniya was instead wearing a pair of pajama shorts with red polka dots, and a plain black shirt. "Yeah. Turns out that our bunk bed got infested with termites about a month after you left. They moved up to an open room on the fourth year floor instead." She layed down and began to read.

Emmy began unpacking her stuff, placing a small clock and some notebooks on the desk. She took her other bag to the empty bed, and set up her orange and cream sheets. They were a gift from her uncle when she was a kid, and were the only set of sheets she had that fit on a twin sized bed. Emmy _could_ have bought more, but she didn't see the point. The sheets were comfortable anyways.

At the bottom of her bag sat a square piggy bank, with a cat face engraved in the back. It was something her father had gotten the bank to manufacture, and he gave her the final prototype. Her father was trying to get kids into banking their money, and whether it worked or not didn't matter, because the line of kitty banks were a success.

Emmy and Saniya's fathers run a bank together, which is how they met. Saniya's father was, the CEO of the business, while Emmy's father was the Chief Financial Officer. Saniya's family was actually the reason Emmy could come to Asagao. Because of a debt to her father, Saniya's father decided to send her with Saniya using the 'sibling program' as they called it. It basically meant that if you sent more than one student to Asagao, they would share a lot of the expenses, like textbooks and uniforms. Most of the families didn't bother, since it _was_ a rich kid school, but since both of the girl's fathers were pretty stingy, they decided to save any cent they could.

"Hey Emmy?" Saniya called out from her bed. Emmy put her head around the corner. "Can you run and buy me some food from the cafeteria? I haven't renewed my cafeteria card since it's only on the first of the month," Saniya asked, not even looking away from her book. When Emmy didn't respond, Saniya gave her a pleading look. "Please?"

Emmy sighed. "Fine. But you better pay me back," she groaned. Saniya nodded, turning back to her book. Emmy rolled her eyes, and grabbed her bag that held her wallet. She moved her lunch card to her wallet and walked out the door, closing it behind her.

As she walked down the long halls, she took a few breaths. Everything seemed so _normal._ She expected a lot of hassle or change or something, but nothing.

A few girls milled throughout the halls and stairwells, none that she knew though. She stepped out into the fall air, and walked swiftly in the direction she thought the cafeteria was.

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 **This chapter is** _ **really**_ **short compared to the rest, but since I've written the next chapter already, I have to cut it off here.**

 **The next chapter's really fun, but hard to keep from seeming rushed. I love this story though. It's so fun.**


	2. Chapter Two - Rest in Spaghetti

**Yay new chapter!**

 **I actually quite like this chapter. It may seem a little rushed at the end, but you'll see why soon…**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

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School started two days later. Emmy wasn't quite nervous, but instead exited. She missed the classrooms, students, and teachers after one-on-one simple schooling by doctors of the recovery center. He tied her hair up in a bun, and pinned it in place.

She looked at her outfit: a light blue blazer over a white button-up shirt. She was originally going to wear the vest, but after realizing just how small it was, she decided better. She had a black pleated skirt and white tights. A pair of black oxfords were the only part of the outfit she actually owned.

"Emmy! Come on! I've been waiting _hours!_ " Saniya complained, slouching against the door. She was wearing a similar outfit to Emmy, except she had grey knee-high socks and was wearing the yellow vest. Her jacket sleeves were also rolled up to her elbows.

"It's been like, two minutes, Sanyia. And I'm done anyway," Emmy replied, grabbing her bag from her desk. She checked to make sure she had her keys and led the way out the door. "What classroom are we in again?" Emmy asked, not remembering the room number.

Saniya thought for a moment before responding, "I think it was room 203? I'm not too sure." Saniya closed her eyes, and Emmy had to pull her out of the way of another student in the halls. She then opened her eyes, nodding her head. "Yep, 209."

"Was that really necessary? You know where the room is anyways," Emmy questioned. She was about to continue when she saw Saniya shoot her a look to be quiet. She solemnly obliged.

They arrived at the classroom fairly quickly, since it was only on the second floor. Saniya had he go on without hr, since she had to run by her lover first. Emmy walked into the classroom, nearly hitting her head to the short doorframe. There wasn't a teacher at the desk, but a few students were scattered around the seats. She felt the students look up at her, and then return to whatever they were looking at originally. Except for one.

Emmy felt the eyes of a boy in one of the rows eyeing her down. From when she glanced at him, she saw he wore a pair of glasses, books towered to his right. But the biggest thing she noticed was his uniform. Instead of the light blue blazer like the other students, he was wearing a yellow and black varsity jacket. She didn't feel like looking for more details, so she looked out the window. She felt his eyes on her until another student walked in behind her. She didn't get to see who it was because Saniya stormed into the classroom after them, stomping.

"How dare he!" she yelled, slamming her hands on a desk. "Tyler's water bottle was left open in his locker and it tipped over! Now all my books are wet!'

Emmy looked at the books she had slammed onto what she assumed was Saniya's desk. The covers looked soggy, and the sides of the pages were shades of black and blue where the text had smudged.

She knew that Saniya would have to pay for those books, since they were school issued. Emmy put her hand on Saniya's shoulder. I'm sure he didn't mean it. He probably just forgot and it tipped over when he put his books in, that's all."

Her words didn't seem to calm her down at all. "That doesn't matter!" Saniya yelled, glaring out the door. She muttered something Emmy couldn't quite catch, and sat down with a huff. "Are you gonna sit down or what?" Saniya asked, pointing to the desk two seats to her right. "That one's open."

Emmy nodded and walked over to the desk. She knew Saniya would try to do something to get back at the kid- what was his name? Tyler?- after class. She knew she could do nothing to stop her, so she decided to just let it be.

"I'm sorry, I really am…." Saniya was in front of Emmy in the hallway, holding a duffel bag with the school's name on it. "But I can't miss tennis practice, and it happens to fall on lunch."

Emmy wasn't upset, really. She would have liked to of had a friends, of course, but she was glad she'd have time to herself in the day. Saniya could be a bit… draining. She was nice, but always went over the top, and had a bit of an anger problem. It's not like she could avoid her though. Their lives were pretty tangled up, now especially.

"It's fine, Saniya. I can eat a meal on my own," Emmy said in a half joking tone. Saniya smiled and, with a final wave, ran out towards the fields.

With a sigh of relief, Emmy walked quickly out towards the lunchroom. She hadn't really had a breakfast, and was really used to the large amounts of food at the center. It wasn't a far walk, however, and she opened the doors to walk inside.

As she swung open the door a loud wave of talking and screaming hit her, making her a little dazed. The walls here were _really_ soundproof. She took a moment to recompose herself, and walked towards the lunch line.

Emmy looked around after getting a tray of spaghetti. She'd hoped to find a table to herself, but it didn't seem like that was the case. She decided that, since she wasn't getting anywhere in the table department, she might as well look at the different students.

The most noticeable thing in the lunchroom was the very center table. A group of guys were sitting around it, with two girls sitting next to each other on the side farthest from Emmy. And again, like earlier, they weren't wearing the school uniform. Instead of black and yellow, however, theirs were a dark tropical blue, some of them having differing amounts of black. One of them, sitting next to a girl also wearing a jacket, had his pulled over his head like a hood. The girl, who had a head of short pink hair, was holding her stomach laughing.

Emmy shifted her gaze to a table a few spots behind them, where a lone boy sat. He had the same jacket as the kid in her class.

Without realizing, she had started walking in his direction. When she reached his table, she didn't really know what to say so she simply said, "Hello."

The kid looked up from his spaghetti, his eyes wide. Then he paled. He curled over, hands to his neck, and stumbled out of his chair, hitting the floor. Emmy realized.

"Oh god, you're choking!" She yelled, pulling him up by his sleeves. "I'm sorry, uhh… here!" She got behind him, placing a fist on his stomach, and pushed. Eventually, he coughed, putting his hands on the chair in front of him. He breathed for a second.

Emmy didn't know what to do. She wanted to say something, but what? She decided to instead place her hand on his back. He sat there for a few seconds, her patting his back. Then he tensed, and shot up, making Emmy stumble back.

The kid whirled around. "What the hell?! You scared me! Don't just sneak up on people!' He yelled. Emmy had already felt a bunch of kids staring, and now she felt the cafeteria's entire gaze on her back.

"I- I'm sorry. I really didn't mean it. I just…" she whispered, "needed somewhere to sit." She looked down, waiting for him to yell, or do something, but instead she felt a hand on her shoulder, and heard a kid laughing to her left.

She looked up to see a younger kid, most likely a first year, smiling down at her. "Hey, don't worry 'bout Ian. He's a bit of a drama queen," he laughed, patting her on the back. Then he turned to Ian. "What is with you and spaghetti anyway? Last time the school had spaghetti, you met the one kid to tell you off. Now you got people trying to kill you," the kid turned to Emmy, winking. "Maybe we should start a "Stop Serving Spaghetti" campaign."

Ian glared at the kid by Emmy's side. "Jimmy, just… leave. I can't handle you right now," he huffed, sitting down and turning his back. But Jimmy didn't move. Instead he turned on his heel, calling over to a few kids in line. "Hey Wallid, Caddy, Jeff! We got a new one!" he screamed, waving his hand and pointing at Emmy. She watched the kid in the middle laugh and jog over, the other two on his tail.

The jackets again.

"So what happened to Moosey now?' he laughed, glaring at Ian, who was ignoring the conversation behind him. He had a british accent, that seemed really bubbly and full of energy. Then he looked to Emmy. "You tryin' to kill him?" he asked, smirking. Emmy opened her mouth, shaking her head. The kid laughed. "You better not steal my job! The name's Caddy," he said, turning entirely towards her. He pointed to the tallest kid, who had really swoopy hair and some _major_ cheekbones. "That's Jeff. He's on the soccer team." Jeff waved, giving a lopsided smile. Caddy pointed over his other shoulder to a familiar face. I was the kid from class, the one with the glasses. "And that's Wallid." Wallid didn't move, just looked Emmy up and down.

Caddy turned back to Emmy. "So, you need somewhere to sit?" he asked. Before Emmy could respond, he exclaimed, "Great! You can sit with us! Isn't that right, _Moosey?"_ He said Moosey in such a sharp tone Emmy was surprised a knife didn't hit Ian in the back. Ian shrugged.

"That's a yes in my book," said Jeff, putting his stuff down in the seat on the opposite side of the table. Wallid followed, sitting next to him. Jimmy came around from behind Caddy and grabbed Emmy's wrist.

"Come on! You can't say no now!" he said, still smiling. He pulled her to the side of the table Ian was at, sitting her between him and Caddy.

At first lunch was a little uncomfortable, but the table seemed to lighted up when one final kid named Luke arrived. He was pretty laid back, and sat across from Ian. Emmy saw him flick crumpled pieces of napkin at him a few times, but Ian never did much about it aside from flick them back across the table.

Emmy didn't know why or how, but she had a very assured feeling in her stomach about one thing.

Ian was _totally_ gay.

Jimmy was constantly talking in her ear, breaking only to take a bite of sandwich. Caddy was talking to Jeff about something Emmy didn't quite catch. She was too focused on Wallid's eyes glaring at her. She had her eyes on Jimmy the whole time, but his presence was always looming over her. About three minutes before clean-up, something snapped in Emmy.

She turned to Wallid, and Jimmy stopped talking mid-sentence. Wallid looked clearly nervous. "Would you mind explaining why you've been glaring at me this whole time?" she said sharply, glaring into Wallid's eyes. She could tell he wanted to look away, but for some reason he didn't. Then something changed in his face.

"I know you!" he exclaimed, smiling. He started laughing. "I knew it! You're a Wadetin, aren't you?" he asked. Emmy was shocked. "Jessica and Harrison's kid?"

Emmy slowly nodded. "How? How'd you know?" Wallid laughed.

"I think I'd know the names behind the biggest bank in Japan. You were sent here with that Cassler kid, right? The one yelling about Tyler's water bottle?"

Emmy gaped. How did this kid know all this? Then It clicked. "Wait. You're Wallid? Like, Wallid Kanaan? The kid my parent's had over for dinner that one Christmas?" she asked, in awe. She _knew_ this kid.

Wallid was beaming. "Yeah! So you remember me! Sorry I was glaring, I just knew your face but couldn't link it to a name." He started laughing.

Emmy looked over to Jimmy, who was looking in utter confusion. In fact, all of the guys besides Wallid were.

Ian spoke first. "Wait. You know Wallid?" he asked. One of his eyebrows were raised, and he looked a bit shocked. Emmy nodded. "Oh." Then, surprisingly, Ian kinda sorta… smiled?

Lunch from then on was a lot more talkative. Her and Wallid talked for about a minute, catching up, and when they threw away their trays, she began talking with Ian.

Ian actually seemed really nice, not mean. He seemed a bit antisocial, but he warmed up pretty quickly. "So one time, as a dare, Jeff had to climb up the school's back wall," he said, shaking his head. "I told them it was a bad idea, but Jeff wouldn't back down from a challenge." From behind her, Jeff laughed.

"Yeah, it kinda sucked that I fell halfway up. Landed in a bush. Had to stay out of the next game from a broken toe," he laughed. Emmy watched him lightly shove Ian's shoulder. "Really should've listened to the one kid out of us who has any actual common sense.

To this Ian smiled, and Jimmy from a few feet ahead turned around. "I don't know what you're talking about!" he jokingly scoffed, walking backwards. I have plenty comm-AGH!" he tripped on a bag that was on the floor, falling backwards and taking Caddy down with him. Then Caddy brought Wallid. Wallid grabbed Jeff, and so on until all of them were on the floor. Emmy was left standing, hunched over in laughter. The she felt hands on her arms, and she felt herself be pulled down to the floor too. They were in the middle of the cafeteria, laughing their lungs out.

Then a voice from above them said, "What are you guys _doing?"_ Emmy looked up, blinking the tears from her eyes. A kid from the table she'd first seen, one wearing a blue jacket, was looking down at them, specifically Jimmy. "You're making a ruckus."

To that, Jeff started howling with laughter, falling back onto the floor. Between laughs he got out, "Only Shane would use the word 'ruckus' unironically!" He sat up, still holding a hand to his heart. "You're such an old lady."

Shane huffed. "You're the old lady, Jeff. Who actually reads a newspaper nowadays, quoting you, 'unironically'," he claimed, crossing his arms. His body looked hostile, but the look on his face said otherwise.

Emmy watched him shift his gaze across the crowd of people on the floor to her. He raised an eyebrow. "Who is that?" he asked, pointing to her.

Emmy saw that Ian was about to respond, but she cut him off, saying, "I can answer my own name, you know? And I'm Emmy," she said, looking up at Shane. He had this cold aura about him, but that wasn't it. Their was something… shattering about him. Like something inside him broke long ago.

"Well, _Emmy,_ I wouldn't recommend hanging with these losers," he said with a smirk, looking at the offended looks on the other guy's faces. Specifically Caddy, who seemed like he would cut Shane in half if he could. "Their a bit of a hastle."

"Well I'm sorry _mom_ that I can't have any fun," scoffed Wallid, standing. He moved his glasses back in place, his mouth straight. It was obviously forced.

Shane had shifted to stand in front of Wallid, and he still had a smirk on his face. He was standing as tall as he could, and said, "Well if I'm your mom, you should probably watch your mouth, _son._ I will take away your allowance."

The two started whispering something to each other, so Emmy turned her attention away and back to the rest of the group. She stood, and held out her hand for Ian to take. He grabbed it, pulling hard enough to almost pull Emmy back to the floor. The two of them gathered everyone up from the floor, Wallid and Shane still bickering.

"...to the class?" Emmy heard the tail end of what Caddy was saying, and turned around.

"What? I didn't hear you over _Wallid's argument."_ She said the last one looking over Caddy's shoulder, where Wallid was now looking at her. He had backed away from Shane, who was now fishing something out of a binder in his hands. Wallid was grinning sheepishly, and mouthed something like ' _Sorry'._

Caddy's giggling brought her gaze back to his face. "I was just asking if you wanted to walk back to class with us?" He had shifted his weight to his other leg, and Jimmy, as if on cue, ran over to his side.

"Please? You're like, the only person to talk to us in like, 6 months that hasn't been trying to beat us," Jimmy pleaded. _Beat them? What does that mean?_ "Plus, you're really chill, unlike _some people."_ He said the last part while glaring at Shane, similarly to what Emmy had done a few moments before.

She laughed. "Of course. I don't think I could say no anyway," she joked, and the rest of the boys walked up to behind Caddy and Jimmy. "I'm a bit outnumbered."

As she said this, she felt someone grab her by the hands. It was Jimmy, who was now bouncing up and down. "Yay! Yay! I'm not the new one anymore!" He let go, turning around to point at everyone. "Eat it!"

Emmy couldn't help but laugh, and she heard most of the others laughing as well. The group moved around her, each holding their own conversations. She ended up next to Ian in the back, who had his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Ian?" Emmy saw him jump a little, and his gaze shifted over to her. He made a little hum that most likely mean ' _Yes?'_ "What's with Shane? He seemed a little…" she drifted off.

"Cold? Sarcastic? A pain in everyone's ass? 'Cause all of those are true and more," he said, rolling his eyes.

Emmy sighed. "That doesn't sound like it. I guess maybe… distant? Like he's not grounded in reality. I don't know, I just… I know that look," she finished with a sigh. She really wanted to help. She knew where that feeling of being lost could lead. It wasn't something she wanted to see again.

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 **Wow so intense**

 **As I said, the end is rushed for a reason. Also, the next chapter is a lot of Saniya development (yay). She's just** _ **great**_ **.**

 **See you soon!**


	3. Chapter Three - In the Setting Sun

**Woo another short chapter ._.**

 **This one gets intense real fast, so prepare your butts for that**

 **Also, this story is really long and has a bunch of separate conflicts. It also has a few OCs, not only the one. And** _ **foreshadowing**_ **yay**

 **There's some backstory explaining at the bottom if you want to read that lol**

 **Enjoy!**

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Ian watched Emmy's eyes flash. They had this sense of determination to them, like she'd made a promise she wouldn't break. She paused for a moment next to him, looking to the floor.

Ian placed his hand on her forearm. "Hey Emmy?" he asked, pushing on her arm a bit. She stirred, looking back up to meet his gaze.

"Hmm?" she hummed for him to continue. Her eyes had lost that look she'd had before in favor of a kind recognition. She seemed like she could change moods very quickly at will.

"Is there a reason you got along with us so well?" he questioned. The question had been on his mind since the end of lunch. Emmy seemed to be really comfortable with them after such a short amount of time. Ian wanted to know how.

It'd taken him so long to even tolerate the Hidden Block club at all, much less become friends. Hana had been quite similar, only really rooting for them when there was something mutual between them and the Normal Boots club.

Emmy looked a bit puzzled at first, tilting her head to the side. Then it shot back up in realization, and she halfheartedly chuckled. "Oh… that. Well, as you know I've been out of school. It was due to injury, so I was in a rehabilitation center for the first half of this year. I never had any classes with other people, just the nurses and doctors, so I guess I was really open to any friendly face," she smiled a soft smile at Ian, her eyes heavy. Emmy's head turned away from Ian, but he could've sworn he heard her mumble something over her other shoulder.

H almost asked what she'd said before the club walked into Poppy Hall. Jimmy left the group first since his class was on that floor, and the rest of them made their way to the stairs. Emmy was relaxed by Ian's shoulder, walking as if she had not a care in the world, so different to just a few moments ago. _She must be really sensitive to that topic,_ Ian thought.

They walked into the next floor hallways. Some commotion came from further down the hall, and Ian watched the other club members turn the corner a bit farther ahead of them.

He and Emmy were about to round the corner when she froze. Ian looked over to see her eyes wide, her shoulders tense.

He began to ask what happened when she blurted out, "Uh… Sorry, I gotta, um…" she looked around in a panic. "Grab a textbook! Yeah, that's it! I need something from the library. You all have fun!"

Before anyone could ask her what happened, she turned on her heel and ran back down the stairs. Ian looked at where she'd run off, and looked back to see a girl walk around the corner. She had a wide smile on her face, like that of the cheshire cat. She looked at them as if looking for someone, then frowned a little.

She was quite tall, but Ian could just see her giant heels from past the others. Her outfit barely passed dresscode, and her hair was a burnt umber, cut into a pixie cut. She wore _way_ too much makeup, and seemed to have a really bad case of resting bitch-face.

Her eyes locked with Ian's, her eyes cold. Ian returned with a stare he hoped was just as harsh, and she looked away with a scowl. She turned around and headed down the hall with a huff. Ian couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.

He then realized he had heard something from Emmy's murmuring. It was a name he'd heard brought up at lunch. _Saniya._

As he stood there processing the information, Caddy and Wallid said their goodbyes a bit less energetic than usual. Everyone seemed really tense as well, most likely from that really… odd situation.

"Well, let's go!" Jeff called turning around. He seemed to be trying to lift the feeling from the air, walking back to the stairs. Ian and Luke walked behind him.

"You 'k dude?" Luke asked him, a hint of concern in his eyes.

Ian sighed. "I'm _fine,"_ he said, taking a step up the stairs. "That girl just made me a bit uncomfortable. I don't like people staring at me."

Luke shifted next to him, moving his hat a little. "You mean the one in the heels, right?" Ian nodded. "Yeah she kinda freaked me out. I don't know why, though," he said, putting his hands in his pockets. Luke looked up the stairs. "Did you feel it too?"

"Huh?" Ian asked, confused. Felt what? Luke's face twisted a little, and his head hit his shoulder.

"I don't know. It's just…" he trailed off, lifting his head back up. "Never mind." Luke turned back to him with a lazy smile. "So, about my album-"

"No! I'm not buying your rap album!" Ian cut him off. He started moving faster up the stairs. He could feel Luke running behind him. "Stop asking me!"

Luke laughed. "But Ian! My legacy!" he yelled, Ian running into the third floor hallway. He heard Jeff call it a goodbye behind him.

"No!" Ian yelled, opping abruptly. Luke, caught off guard, ran straight into his back. He hit the floor with a thud.

Ian stood over his, hitting him on the side of the head with his palm. "Bad," he joked, walking away a little. He heard mock crying behind him. Ian turned to see Luke still sitting on the floor, a hand to the side of his head.

Walking back towards him, ian rolled his eyes. "Come on, he said, grabbing him by the sleeve. Luke stood, but didn't move forward at all. Ian kept pulling, but he just stood there.

"Ugh. Fine. I'll buy your stupid rap album. Just _move,_ " Ian sighed. Luke beamed, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Really?!" he yelled, shaking him. Ian moved away a step, letting the boy's arms drop. "Holy shit I didn't think that'd work," he whispered, still smiling.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure. Just _please_ move," Ian grabbed his arm again, guiding him into the classroom. "You're making a scene."

After classes, Ian went straight back to his room. He didn't really feel like talking to anyone, deciding instead to play on his laptop. He'd sat there for a while before deciding to play some game he'd really liked as a kid. He played for a while before Jeff walked into the room, soccer bag over his shoulder.

"How long you been here?" Jeff asked setting down his stuff. He was in a grass-covered soccer uniform, and sat down to pull off his cleats.

Ian shrugged. "I don't know. But didn't I tell you before to knock your shoes off _outside?_ " he huffed, watching Jeff tap his shoes on the floor. "I know you aren't gonna vacuum."

Jeff sheepishly smiled, grabbing his shoes and throwing them next to the door. "Didn't really feel like being outside longer than necessary. It's freaking _hot_ out," he moaned, grabbing clothes from his dresser to change into.

Ian stood up, grabbing s keys from his desk. "I doubt it's that bad. I'm getting food. Bye," he said opening the door.

"Wait! What're you getting?" Jeff asked putting his hand in front of Ian who had begun to walk out of the room.

"Sabway," he said, ducking under Jeff's arm. "I'll get you a ham sandwich."

Jeff called out behind him, "Thanks dude! And I'll vacuum the carpet while you're out!" Ian kinda doubted that.

He walked out of the dorm to see the sun starting to set. Curfew would be in about two hours, so he had time. As he began to walk, he realized Jeff was right. It was _really_ hot. He started walking under the trees for any sort of shade he could get.

He was nearing the gate when he saw something flash to his left. He turned to see someone standing in the shadows of the wall, staring straight at him. He couldn't really see their face, but when he looked down he saw their shoes. It was a pair of black high heels.

"Hello, _Ian_ ," she hissed his name, walking a short distance from the wall, enough so that Ian could see her face clearly. It was the girl from the hallway earlier.

"The hell do you want?" Ian asked, glaring at her as he started walking away. But as he began moving, he felt something catch the back of his jacket. Before he could react he was thrown into the school's wall. He nearly fell to the ground from the impact. "The h-"

"Shut up!" she yelled,forcefully placing her hand over his mouth. He tried to open it, but it wouldn't move. She'd locked his jaw in place. "I don't know what you're doing, but I don't like it. I heard you today, talking to her. I don't appreciate you trying to ruin what I've been working on for so long!" she hissed, inching her face closer and closer to his.

At this point Ian had stopped struggling in fear that she'd break his teeth if he didn't. His mind was racing as she spoke. _What is she talking about?_ He wondered, before it clicked. He'd completely frozen.

"She's _mine,_ got it?" she whispered, moving her hand. Ian took his injured jaw in one hand. "I don't want to see you around her ever again," and with that, she turned away and started walking. Before she'd gotten far, se turned back to Ian, who was still frozen. "If that isn't enough incentive, then…" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a knife. It shone gold in the setting sun. She twirled it in her fingers, purposefully pointing it at Ian. "Maybe this is."

She shoved it back into her pocket, walking away without another word. Ian sat with his back against the wall, letting his hands drop to his sides. He was breathing really fast, and soon stood up. He ran quickly back to bluebell, faster than he felt like he'd run in his whole life.

He didn't really feel like eating anymore.

* * *

 **Like I said, 0-100 real quick**

 **So, a little backstory. Nothing really too important for the story, but if you're an active reader, this is some important info**

 **This story will have a lot of foreshadowing to future events. Character quotes that seem irrelevant come back to bit them in the ass. Secondary characters become main ones in a flash, like just now with secret shadow lady aka someone you already know**

 **It'll get confusing in later chapters, and I know this because I have foreshadowed events already planned.**

 **So here's some foreshadowing events to watch out for:**

 **-Any character encounter to Saniya**

 **-Family ties between Emmy and Saniya**

 **-Emmy's hobbies**

 **-Hana**

 **Ok, so hear me out. I know I've said like, a sentence about Hana right now, but she's a HUGE plot point later. It'd be smart to look at her interactions closely.**

 **This may seem really weird for me to do, but I'm reading King Arthur, and I learned how important it is to know foreshadowed events and all their little clues. If you've read the book I'm talking about, you know it's all about fate. This book is a struggle between fate and free will, so look at foreshadowing carefully. It may not be as direct as you once thought.**

 **Bye now~**


	4. Chapter Four - Faint Memories

**Yay new chapter**

 **For some reason, this one is shorter than chapter 2, yet took me longer. Most likely because this one has a bunch of scenes. Like, half a day. Not just lunch.**

 **Warnings for violence**

 **Also, yes, the teacher is exactly who you think it is**

* * *

Emmy awoke to the sound of Saniya snoring. She didn't want to move, but she really wanted to know the time. She rolled over to look at her alarm from across the room. _4:45._ She still had about an hour and a half until she had to be in class, and another 45 minutes until she could leave the dorm safely, but she couldn't sleep anymore.

She got out of bed, carefully walking to her closet as to not wake up Saniya who was sound asleep across the room. She slipped into her uniform, and stood in front of the mirror to pull her hair up into a bun. With one swift movement, she stepped into her shoes and opened the door to leave.

The sounds of her footsteps seemed so loud in the silence of the hallways, so she walked on her toes. She eventually made it to the door, and opened it just a crack to slip out.

The morning air was cool, a nice change from the heatwave that seemed to be coming through. It was a lot worse than when she'd been in the center, since this place had so many more people and rooms to cool. Emmy took a deep breath before making her way towards Poppy Hall, taking slight refuge in the bushes every once in awhile.

She finally made it to the entrance to the main building, and she entered, the door squeaking sound. She felt a bit more relaxed walking through the hallways, since the lights were on in the morning anyway. Emmy walked up the stairs, heading to the second floor. She kept walking upstairs, however, her mind a bit hazy from just waking up.

When she entered the third floor, she paused, realizing she'd gone too far. She turned to go back down when she heard a door open on the floor below. She quickly scampered down the hall as quietly as she could, nearly diving into one of the classrooms. She heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thank God," she whispered, leaning against the door frame. She looked out a space in the door, but no one was there. She was about to open the door to leave when she heard something from inside the room. She would have screamed if she hadn't been trying to keep quiet.

She turned her head quickly to see a familiar face glaring at her from one of the desks. _Shane._ He was bent over something, the pencil in his hands clenched tightly by his fingers. His eyes were cold, and his shoulders were bunched slightly around his neck in aggravation.

"Do you mind?" he huffed, still glaring. "I'm trying to work."

Emmy was still a bit shocked someone else was here, but managed to say, "O-oh. Sorry. I didn't know anyone else w-was here." She gulped. Shane was still staring, and it was making her really uncomfortable. "I-I'll just go."

She reached to grab the door handle again when Shane said from his seat, "Why are you here anyways? I thought you were a second year." She looked back to see that he'd gone back to whatever he'd been doing when she came in.

"Yeah, I am. But I couldn't sleep, so I came here, and a teacher was on the second floor. I ran up here to hide out in a room," she replied, moving away from the door. "What about you?"

Shane sighed a little, shifting in his seat to look back at her. He'd dropped his pencil on the paper. "It's just really quiet in the morning. Plus, the desks here are a lot neater than the one in my room," he said, and Emmy walked over.

"What're you working on?" she asked, sitting down at the desk to his right. He looked away for a second, then grabbed the papers from his desk. Without looking at her he handed them over.

Emmy was shocked. They were a bunch of detailed drawings, some faces, others things like pencils and apples. In the center of the page was a boy, one she'd seen before at the table where he sat. Below him were the words _Paul for President._

"You drew these?" she asked, flipping through pages of drawings, each so detailed they looked like they could come off the page. He nodded. "That's so _cool!_ My brother was an artist, made oil paintings and stuff," she explained, and Shane looked up again.

"Would I know him?" he asked, looking in interest. He'd grabbed his pencil again, and was making light lines on the page. Emmy handed back the pages.

"Maybe," she said, turning to face Shane. "You ever heard the name Casper Wadetin?" Shane shook his head. Emmy grabbed her phone from her pocket and pulled up her pictures. She flipped to a painting of a girl on the beach, the sky shades of pink and purple. She handed it to Shane.

He studied it for a moment before going to the next. Then the next. He flipped through almost all of them before handing her phone back. He had a little smile on his face. "Cool."

Then he turned back to what he was drawing, and Emmy continued to have a conversation. They talked for a while, Shane telling her he's a transfer, and Emmy telling him why she'd been gone.

Something Emmy noticed quickly was that Shane had a very little amount sympathy, but Emmy liked it that way. She could never say anything about her injury to anyone without them treating her like her mom just died. It got annoying fast.

Instead, Shane just let her talk, making a few comments before he'd take up the conversation. They'd alternated like that for what felt like hours before the first student walked into the room. It was the girl with short pink hair she'd seen before,ailed by a taller girl with long red hair. The two of them seemed like they'd been talking, but when they saw Emmy and Shane, they'd stopped.

"O-oh," the girl with pink hair spoke first. "Are we interrupting something?" she started backing away, pulling on the other girl's arm. "We'll leave."

The redhead stood firm, however. "It doesn't matter, Hana." _Hana._ "You're both in the same club anyway. I thought you two had gotten over all the weird awkwardness," she huffed, pulling the other girl back in.

Emmy had been silent through all this, and turned over to Shane with a _is this fine?_ kinda look. He shrugged, but didn't say a word as he went back to drawing. Emmy sighed.

She stood from the desk she'd been sitting in, grabbing the stuff she'd placed on the floor. "Guess I should be going," she said unenthusiastically. "See ya Shane."

She started walking to the door when she heard someone call out behind her. She turned to see the red head walking over. "Hey! Where do you think you're going? You haven't met a major character yet!" she laughed, and Emmy chuckled nervously. _What's she talking about?_ The redhead held out her hand. "The name's Mai. Mai Sasaki," Emmy shook her hand carefully. The redhead pointed behind her. "And that's Hana."

Hana waved sheepishly from where she sat, then turned back to her phone. Her hair was tied back into a red ribbon, and she wore the same jacket as Shane. _So they're club jackets,_ Emmy realized, looking back to Mai. It was odd though. Mai seemed to be really close to Hana and the rest of that club, yet she didn't have on a jacket.

"So you know Shane?" Mai asked, her eyes quickly looking at Shane before returning to her. She saw Shane shift from the corner of her eyes.

"Not really. We kinda just met yesterday," he said, never looking up. Emmy nodded.

"Yeah, I just ended up in this room this morning. I came in early and needed a room to hide out in. There were some teachers on the second floor, so I ran in here," Emmy explained, slowly backing towards the door. "So I should _really_ get going.

Mai sighed, but waved her bye anyway. As she left the room, a few more students in the hallway, she heard Mai call out behind her, "Wait! I never got your name!"

Emmy turned her head a bit to the right. "Emmy Wadetin!" she yelled, and with that she jogged down the hall to the next floor.

She made her way through her normal routine: locker, classroom, restroom, back to class. She made it back to class with some time, so she pulled out a folder she'd been carrying around. She opened it to reveal pages on pages of sheet music and staff paper, each one covered in notes drawn by hand. Emmy grabbed one headed _Atlas_ and a pencil clipped to the side of the folder. She hummed the notes she'd written out, and slowly drew in notes as she remembered them. The bell rang after she finished the first half.

Emmy looked over to where Saniya was sitting, half a raw bagel on her desk. She was chewing what Emmy guessed was the other half. She looked tired, and Emmy remembered how she'd come back to the dorm late last night. Emmy'd tried to ask her what happened, but Saniya had ignored her, quickly falling asleep.

She was about to tell her good morning when the teacher, Mr. Patrick, entered the room. He looked buzzed off his mind.

"Good morning, class!" he practically yelled, waking up anyone who was remotely tired. "Pull out your Theory 101 textbooks and turn to page 598 in Unit 5."

As Emmy flipped through the book, she heard a student in the back groan, "But we've already studied this what, 10 times?" Emmy swore she knew the voice, but it wasn't one of the guys she'd met yesterday. She ignored it.

Mr. Patrick made a half-mocking gasp. "You'd dare tell me not to explain the theories behind one of the most controversial topics of all time? How the answers to everything could be held within a bunch of living statues? Then why don't you explain to us some other theory of great importance, Ethan?"

Everyone had turned to look at the kid Mr. Patrick was speaking to, but Emmy couldn't see him behind the her students. She heard him, however, _very_ clearly.

"Well, _sir,_ how about we learn about a theory of more importance like, I don't know, how we might all be stuck in an infinite time loop, with one single person at the center? Or maybe how we're all just one hive mind under a supreme being greater than myself.

Emmy watched as a student rose from the crowd, standing up from his chair. He was still quite short, but tall enough to be visible over all the other sitting students. He had swoopy platinum blonde hair, and the one ear you could see had two cartilage piercings going up the side. His eyes, a light green, flickered with rage.

"You ever think of that _Matthew?_ " he hissed, and Emmy watched him as he was pulled back down into his seat by the kid next to him. The kid was tall. Like, _really_ tall. He was pretty tan, and had very light brown hair, shaved a bit down the sides. His eyes were a light blue, almost grey, and kept flickering between Ethan and Mr. Patrick, who had begun walking towards the two.

Mr. Patrick loomed in front of them, blocking them from Emmy's view once again. The teacher whispered to Ethan for a moment before turning and stalking away. The other boy next to Ethan's head was still visible over the crowd, and she could see him gently looking down at him. He was whispering something, and she watched Ethan stand and hand him his notebook.

"Thanks James," she heard Ethan say, him walking to the front. He stood before Mr. Patrick for a moment, bowing before stalking out of the class.

Mr. Patrick coughed. "Let's get back to class," he boomed, his tone the opposite of what it was just a few minutes before. He turned to the board, the chalk in his hand wavering in his grip. "Turn to page 287 in unit 3."

Emmy flipped to the page. It was headed "The Beehive Theory."

After class Mr. Patrick decided to not give out any homework. He most likely didn't have anything planned since he changed his plans mid-class. Emmy walked out behind Saniya, making light conversation. Saniya seemed a bit off, drifting to her side immediately after leaving the room. She kept glaring around as if daring someone to take a step too close.

As they made their way down the stairs to lunch, they passed the kid, Ethan, from class. Emmy still felt like she knew him from somewhere, but it was so hazy that she couldn't remember exactly where. She looked up to see Saniya staring down the stairs. Emmy looked down as well, but whatever she'd been looking at had moved on.

Emmy was about to ask her about it, but the look on Saniya's face made me falter. Saniya's face was very cold, her mouth a straight line. It reminded Me of someone who'd just killed a man.

"…with me?" Saniya had been speaking to her. Emmy looked up in confusion. Saniya sighed. "I _said,_ would you come to tennis practice with me?" she repeated, her eyes finally looking at Emmy.

Emmy felt very intimidated, but shook her head anyway. "I like the lunchroom. Plus I don't have a lunch on me," she explained. They'd made it outside, so she began walking towards the cafeteria. Before she could say goodbye, however, someone's strong hand caught her shoulder.

"Let me rephrase that. You're coming with me to tennis practice," Saniya ordered, pulling her shoulder to turn Emmy around. Emmy tried to retort, but Saniya bent down until they were eye level. Emmy's voice caught in her throat. "Got it?"

Emmy nodded. She couldn't do much anyways. She wasn't one to get on Saniya's bad side. Before she could tell Saniya she needed a lunch, Saniya stalked away, leaving Emmy to follow behind. She hid her face, staying within a foot to Saniya.

 _Remember Emmy. You're doing this for dad, for mom._

…

" _Please Emmy. I know you don't want to go, but it will help your father. Saniya's next in line for CEO, not father. And with growing sick, that day might be soon."_

 _Emmy listened to her mother's pleas. She knew that her father wanted to be CEO of the company badly, and that he was far more qualified, but Saniya was already set in stone. She had to make sure her father's job was secure._

" _Of course mom," she replied, giving her a hug. "I think I can live."_

 _Not long after that, she went to Asagao. Then she was attacked._

" _Nice purse," a voice behind her made her jump. Emmy had been walking through an alley, shadowed by the setting sun. She was almost late for the train. She turned to see a young teen, his hair curled far over his forehead. He wore tattered clothes, all except for a purple velvet jacket and a pocket watch spinning in his fingers. "Mind if I take it?"_

 _Emmy clutched her purse to her chest, inching back. "I'm sorry, I have to go," she whispered, turning to run. The boy grabbed her wrist hard, pulling her back and making her hit the floor._

" _Nu-huh. I'm not done yet," he said, pulling a sharp silver knife from inside his jacket. It glimmered in the soft light. "Now, the purse."_

 _But Emmy was frozen. She tried to move, but the boy's violet eyes seemed to glare into her soul._

" _Is that a no? Oh, what a shame," he replied, leaning down and pushing the knife through her thigh. She tried to scream out, but hand was over her mouth. She felt the purse leave her hands. "Can't have you telling anyone, now can we?" he hissed, pulling the knife back out, causing another wave of pain to go through Emmy's body. The knife came within a few inches of her face. "Should have complied when you had the chance."_

 _The last thing Emmy remembered was a pain in her left eye, and a voice calling for her to get up. Then she woke up in the hospital._

 _She had several months of recovery, letting her eye regain focus and her leg begin working again. She left using contacts to cover the wound on her eye, and came back to Asagao in hopes things would have changed._

 _Seemed she was wrong._

…

Emmy spent the entirety of lunch sitting on a bench on the edge of the tennis courts. Saniya had let her use her water bottle, but that was about it. She didn't focus on anything going on in the game, just thinking back on her times before coming back.

"Let's go," she heard Saniya say from her right. She was gathering her bag, and Emmy stood, handing over her bottle. Saniya took it and clipped it to the side of her bag. "You might want to start packing your lunch. We can go grocery shopping this weekend. Until then, you can eat in the lunchroom, I guess," Saniya stated, turning away. Emmy sighed quietly in relief.

They made their way silently back to Poppy Hall, Emmy purposefully avoiding all the people she'd met in lunch the other day. She didn't feel like explaining.

* * *

 **Yeah, Mr. MatPat is the teacher. #NoRegrets**

 **Also, I'm trying not to overdo the violence, but it's kinda hard since violence is a major driving force in this part of the story.**

 **And YAY my children are here! Ethan and James are such fun characters. I love their dynamic 3**

 **I should have weekend uploads normally from here on. If I have time, I might have an extra upload on the weekdays, but it should never take over my weekend upload. Yay**

 **Also I have two editors now! One of them actually created a character later in the story, and will eventually be writing with me! (Love you Grace)**

 **See ya'll next time!**

 **Luv ya**


	5. Chapter Five - Threat Incoming

**Wow this chapter's long**

 **I wrote this as someone was on the document, so they edited directly. That's why I'm uploading on a Tuesday.**

 **Also, Shane's gonna seem** _ **really**_ **nice in this chapter. This is gonna seem really out of character, but there's a reason.**

* * *

"Shane!" he heard his name from down the hall. He'd just finished lunch and entered Poppy Hall. He turned to see Jimmy jogging towards him, the rest of Hidden Block a few feet behind. He looked concerned. "You seen Emmy?" he questioned, standing in front of him. Jeff came to stand at Jimmy's shoulder. "We didn't see her at all at lunch."

Shane sighed. "I saw her this morning I guess. Why are you so worried? You just met her yesterday," he said, smirking a little. "Unless you're afraid you lost her already."

Jimmy didn't take note of his snarky comment. "It's just that Caddy and Wallid saw her get dragged off by some girl. They tried to catch up, but when they found her, she'd already walked off with her. And she didn't look happy about it," Jimmy fretted. He looked legitimately scared.

"She's probably fine. Your not her babysitter, Jimmy. I'm sure se can handle herself," Shane finished, turning around and walking away. He heard footsteps behind him, and as he neared the steps he felt someone place their hand on his shoulder.

"Jimmy I swear to god let it-" he reeled around, expecting Jimmy to be waiting. Instead it was Ian. "Oh. What do you want?"

Ian was nervously looking around, his face pale. His hands were shaking, and his grip was tight on Shane's shoulder. "Dude, spit it out."

Ian gulped, then looked Shane dead in the eyes. "I'm warning you, Shane," he whispered. "Don't get too close to Emmy." He seemed eerily serious, and made Shane really uncomfortable.

"What the hell are you talking about? Why are your hands so damn clammy anyway?" Shane huffed, shoving Ian's hand off him. Ian still looked scared.

"Please dude, just listen. It's Saniya, she-" Ian whispered, cut off by intense yelling from down the hall.

"The hell?! Why'd you do that!" it was the sound of a girl, loud and booming. She sounded ticked, and her words were followed by a loud smash.

Shane looked back to Ian, who looked as if he might pass out. "Ian?" he pushed his shoulder lightly, and was met with Ian booking it up the stairs behind him. Shane turned to look after him, really confused. Then he looked back.

A girl in tall heels strode around the corner, her hair a slightly grown out pixie cut. Her lipstick was bright red, clashing with her school outfit drastically. She looked… strong. Like, really strong.

Tailing her was a slightly shorter girl, one who was most likely taller if the other girl took off her heels. Her hair tied up in a bun, she chased after the other girl, two bags and a stack of books in hand. _Emmy._

"Saniya, please," Emmy pleaded, making the other girl stop. "You can't just attack someone for something so small."

At this, the girl, supposedly named Saniya, turned on her heel to look Emmy dead in the eye. "Small? _Small?_ I payed for this outfit with my own fucking money. If that bitch decides she wants to spill her coffee on it with no consequence she's got another thing coming," she hissed, just loud enough for Shane to catch. "So no, I won't let people like that get away with walking over me," she continued, leaning in and whispering something in Emmy's face.

Shane couldn't catch it, but whatever it was it made Emmy's face fall, and she looked to the floor in defeat. She nodded her head, and Saniya grinned in accomplishment. With a huff, she turned and walked up the stairs, and Emmy started to follow. Shane just watched her leave.

He didn't know what just happened, but he didn't have time to sit and wait. That'd have to wait until he got to class.

And boy did he think about it in class. Everyone did. Word spread fast.

Saniya was already feared throughout the entire school by the end of classes, and not even Hidden Block looked like they could find it in them to approach Emmy.

Word around school was that Saniya had been called to the office mid-class, and had to contact her parents. But she quickly returned, and all the kids in her class said that her teacher had gotten a call before hand. His face hadn't been cheery to say the least.

Shane didn't know what to think. One one hand he didn't feel anything. This had nothing to do with him, so why be scared? But on the other hand, he felt that this had more to do with him than it seemed.

One thing he knew for sure, however. Emmy did have something to fear. Her own roommate was the most hated kid in school, and from what Shane could tell, she couldn't do anything to get away from her. She'd be dragged into everything Saniya got into, always a witness or victim.

It reminded him a bit too much of home.

…

A few days went by after that. Apparently Emmy returned to lunch the next day, but before anyone could ask her anything, she ran outside of the lunchroom, taking her food with her. Shane hadn't seen this, though, since it happened before he even got there.

He was sitting in his dorm room, the clock on his desk reading out 1:34. In the morning. Shane sighed. The next day was the weekend, and he had some mini tournament with Normal Boots to attend. He'd been trying to sleep, but he resorted to just drawing instead. He was drawing a photograph he'd blindly grabbed out of a shoebox in the art closet. It wasn't his, but he didn't care.

Now he couldn't seem to bring himself to draw. He kept moving the pencil around the page, drawing lines over the ones he'd already drawn, only making them darker. He ended up just setting it down.

With a huff he got out of the chair, slipping into his jacket. He just wanted a walk out onto the fields. He knew PBG got away with playing soccer out on them at midnight for weeks straight, so he didn't really worry about getting caught. He slipped out the door quietly, and walked down the hall with careful footsteps.

Shane eventually made it to the door, stepping outside into the cool air. It was nice compared to the heat they'd been getting. As he walked towards the field, he took a breath of the morning air. It was nice being in the quiet, nothing to distract him.

That was, until the guitar.

It started as faint strumming, and he played it off as nothing. But as he grew closer he heard it grow louder and louder, and he realized it was coming from the field he'd been walking to. He thought briefly of turning around, but thought better of it. The morning was nice anyway.

When he reached the back of the bleachers, he could hear it all clearly. It rung out over the whole field, and he waited, just listening. Then he heard them sing.

Their voice was quite low, but definitely feminine. It was quiet, drowned out a bit by the guitar, but Shane could still hear the words clearly.

 _Turn off my mind, I beg you_ …

She sounded sad, as if just speaking would make her cry. But her voice held strong.

 _It's buzzing like the Devil's bow…_

Shane slowly crept up to the side of the bleachers.

 _And pulling her soft virgin string_

 _A terrible shriek from below_

He reached the end. Peering over the side, he caught a glimpse of the guitar, glowing faintly in the fading moonlight. Her hair was let down, making it a bit harder to distinguish the person. But Shane saw her face clearly.

 _A pure heart been bound by an echo_

Emmy.

 _But not bent beneath the coil_

 _If you play her right, she'll sing through the night_

 _With the whispering wheat in the field_

Her face was solemn, looking only at her guitar. As she kept singing, Shane listened quietly, sitting on the damp grass. The echo of the field only made the song seem more haunting. Shane had never realized how nice a guitar sounded on it's own.

He didn't even realize the song was over until he heard footsteps coming his way. In a flash of panic he tried to stand up, instead hitting his head on one of the arm rails attached to the side.

He let out a small sound, but whatever it was it was loud enough for Emmy to hear. "Hello?!" she called out, panic in her voice. "Who's there?"

Shane thought about running, but he realized that would only make her panic more. He walked out from the side of the bleachers, looking up at Emmy who stood on the second step. She wore a white sweater and lime green leggings, and the guitar was strapped tight to her back. She had been clenching the strap holding it to her back, but her grip slackened when she saw him. "Oh."

Shane bowed his head a little. "Sorry," he murmured, not looking her in the eyes. He felt uncomfortable, realizing then how weird it was for him to be listening to her sing without her knowing he was there. "I was just out for a walk when I heard you. I just thought I'd listen."

Emmy giggled from above him, and he looked up to see her smiling. He then saw the tear lines all the way down her face. She'd been _crying._ "It's fine. I probably shouldn't be playing in public if I don't want someone listening in," she joked, her laugh faltering. "It's just the only place I can."

Shane walked up the first step of the bleacher. "Are you okay?" he whispered, and he watched Emmy's face fall. She looked anything but okay. "Wanna talk?"

He was now right next to her. Her eyes were still glazed over from crying, and her hands were shaking a bit. She hesitated for a moment before nodding, sitting on the step. Shane took the seat next to her.

"So," he started, trying to remember when other people would comfort him. Specifically the times it actually worked. "Why are you out here this early?" He watched as she sifted a little, taking her guitar off her back.

She took a breath. "You probably know my roommate. Saniya," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Shane could hear her aggression in the name Saniya, even at the low volume. "Well, she doesn't really like my playing guitar or singing. She doesn't like music much in general anyways. So all this week I've been around her a lot, and haven't been able to play. I really wanted to, however, and decided that he morning would be the best time," she explained, her shoulders slowly sinking.

Shane prepared himself for the next question. "So why _have_ you been hanging out with Saniya?" he questioned, and Emmy physically bristled up.

"I…" she trailed off. "I can't really say," she responded, turning away. Shane wanted to push, but he knew it'd just make it worse. "But," Shane looked up at her. "I can say a bit, I guess."

Shane nodded. He knew it was hard to admit things like this to yourself, even more so to other people. He remembered the may conversations he'd had with friends and family regarding Emily. He hadn't tried to explain once.

"Well, I guess I should start on why I'm here." She began, explaining how she had to become close to Saniya for her father, and how her mother was the final reason she decided to come. She explained how she'd been attacked at the end of the year, and how she'd finally been able to return. "I wasn't here as a first year, though. I was travelling with my orchestra throughout Europe instead."

Shane cut her off, "You're in an orchestra?" He was a bit surprised, but he really shouldn't have been. Who else would wake up at one in the morning to play _guitar._

Emmy smiled a bit. "Yeah. The International Performers League of Accomplished Youth has an orchestra of people from all around the world. One kid's from Ireland, and these two brothers are from France, I think? We also have a few Americans and Canadians," she explained, rubbing her fingers over a sticker on her guitar. It was a piano inside a music note, the symbol of her orchestra. "I'm from Germany, actually."

Shane looked up in confusion. "Really? But you don't, y'know…"

"Sound German? Yeah I get that a lot," Emmy chuckled, and it made Shane a bit more relaxed. _I'm helping_ , he thought. "Even though my parents are both 100% German, they were raised in a part of it that didn't have very thick accents. Seeing as I never left my city as a young child, I never picked it up," she said, leaning back on her hands. "My brother did, however."

Shane watched as her face softened at the mention of her brother. "The painter one?" he asked, remembering the oil paintings she'd shown him before.

Emmy nodded. "Yeah. He used to be a wonderful painter. And guitar player. This is his guitar," she said, grabbing it by the strap. She pulled it onto her lap .

"Did he let you bring it with you?" Shane questioned, and Emmy shook her head.

Emmy was wistfully moving her fingers up and down the strings, making a quiet humming sound. "He's not with us anymore," she said, and Shane was surprised at how calm her voice was. He looked at her with a touch of sympathy, but she waved it off. "He was too good for this world. Kindest kid you'd ever meet. That's why he died, actually. At our Elementary School, he was working as an aid for kids with special needs. He'd always volunteer on his days he didn't have any classes. We had a lockdown, and none of us knew why. I learned later that there was a shooter who'd entered the building," Shane gasped, tensing up. How was she so _calm?_

"Our school was very Pro-LGBTQ+, especially compared to other schools in the region. This guy, well, let's just say he wasn't. My brother had been helping a kid in the restrooms, and after locking themselves in a stall, he decided to run when the man entered the bathroom. He made it into the hall, putting the kid in one of the janitorial closets," Emmy wasn't sobbing, but tears were falling down her face. "He tried to fight him, but… he…" she stopped, looking down at the guitar. Shane could see her hands shaking, tears falling onto the smooth wood. She brushed them away.

"I'm sorry," Shane whispered. 'I shouldn't have brought it up." He felt bad. Like, _really_ bad. The poor kid.

But Emmy just shook her head again. "It's… fine. I needed to talk about it anyway. If anything I should be sorry for ranting so long," she half-joked, making a sound that was somewhere between a sob and a laugh.

Shane didn't really know what to do, so he just rubbed between her shoulder blades. He eventually felt light sobs rising from her chest, and watched as she cried, placing her face in her hands.

Shane didn't know if it was the right thing to do, but he lightly shifted around to give her a small hug. He immediately took her face out of her hands, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Shh… It's fine. Just cry it out," Shane murmured, and after a few moments, the sobbing softened, and Emmy moved back. She rubbed her eyes with her sleeves, and Shane let out a little chuckle. "Let me tell you a story," he whispered, moving back to where he'd been sitting before. Emmy moved her arms, looking towards im. Her eyes were puffy, but she looked a lot calmer than she had when he'd first gotten there.

"Back in England I had a girlfriend. Emily. She was overconfident, brash, demanding. I don't see why I dated her, much less stay with her that long. But I did," he said, looking at his hands. "She was the center of everything and everyone. A spy for the government, a model, and one of the strongest people you'd ever meet. And because of this, I always ended up in the middle of her problems."

"The people she worked for had another organization working against them. And since Emily was their strongest spy, the other group would do anything to weaken her. They tried as hard as they could to find her weakest point. That, of course, was me," he felt Emmy's gaze on his shoulder. "They'd take me as ransom, and Emily would come and save me. It was a constant back and forth, and it drove me mad. I loved her, sure, but I didn't see why I should stay. So I didn't. I left."

He felt Emmy stir at his side, and felt a familiar circle on his back, right between his shoulder blades. "Thing is," he continued. "I keep being reminded of that every day. Everytime I see you I'm reminded of me. And I can't help but see traces of Emily inside Saniya," he explained, and the circling stopped. "I just…"

"Don't want to see that again," Emmy finished, making Shane's had turn up. She was gently looking down at him, no traces of sympathy in her eyes. Instead, she looked so… understanding. "I knew I recognised that face," she whispered, moving a hand to her face. It rested on her cheek. "When I saw you, at lunch. You had this look in your eyes. Like you'd give up long ago. That's the face…" she swallowed a bit, and Shane sat up more. "The face I see every day. _My_ face."

And with that she hugged him. Tight and desperate, but full of hope. He squeezed back, and he felt her grab the fabric of his jacket loosely. They just sat there for a while, the sun slowly creeping over the ridge of the horizon.

Shane hadn't know what to think of Emmy at first. She'd seemed too magnetic, making friends with the Hidden Block boys on the first day. Now he realized what was actually happening. She was being set up for heartbreak over and over; her brother, her accident, Saniya. _Saniya._ It was all her fault.

In that moment, that embrace, Shane realized something important. Something that made him realize why he and Emmy were so similar.

The world was revolving around Saniya. Emmy was hopelessly stuck in fate, and no matter what she did she couldn't stray.

All this just made Shane hug tighter. He never wanted to let go.

…

Eventually they ended up walking back to the dorms. Shane realized he should probably get a nap before going to the tournament, and Emmy thought she should get back to her dorm before Saniya woke up. They had light conversation, Shane explaining that yes, it _was_ stereotypical for her to think he had weekly tea parties.

Emmy was laughing as if everything was normal, and a few times Shane felt like it was too. He was glad it wasn't awkward between them. Emmy seemed like the person to easily latch to people.

"Oh, we're here," he said, stopping in front of the door into Bluebell house. He turned and waved goodbye, and Emmy returned with a small wave. As he opened the door, he felt Emmy grab his shoulder.

"Wait! I forgot to ask. Can I have your number?" she asked, and Shane raised his eyebrows. She seemed to realize how weird that sounded and stuttered, " Oh, sorry, didn't mean… I mean, you don't have to, if-"

"Woah, slow down. Sure," he said, and Emmy smiled sheepishly. She pulled her phone out of her sweater pocket and handed it over. He put in his contact, leaving a note beneath it, and handing it back. Emmy skimmed over it, and laughed a little at his note.

"Thanks. Not just for that, but everything," she said, her smile soft and sincere. Shane couldn't help but smile a little back. "You should probably run back. I'll see you later!" she called over he shoulder, jogging off towards Primrose house. Shane walked into the dorm, his hands in his pockets.

When he made it to his hallway, he walked past a door with some really loud clamoring inside. It sounded like… drums? He was about to knock and remind them to be quiet in the mornings when the door swung open. Shane stepped back.

A kid with platinum blonde stumbled out, another kid with brown hair following him. Shane stepped out of the way and they fell on the hallway floor. In their arms were various tools, one of them Shane recognised from the tool shed.

"Ethan?" the brunet dropped his stuff, moving to push the other one's shoulder. "Dude, are you okay?" Shane could see the other one roll over, spreading out his arms and dropping the tools onto his chest.

"Ugh… Maybe this wasn't a good idea…" he groaned, and Shane walked up to the brunette. The boy was chuckling, and was starting to pick up the tools. "Woah! Watch out!" The kid on the floor called out, grabbing a pair of pliers and chucking them straight at Shane.

They luckily missed.

"Ethan! You idiot what are you _doing?_ " the other hissed, standing up and turning to Shane. "Sorry, did he hit you?" Shane shook his head. He was pretty immune to shock from flying objects after hanging out with Normal Boots for so long.

"I was just gonna tell you two to _shush._ It's 4 AM. I didn't want to have a riot," Shane said, his face still flat. The other kid sighed.

"Sorry," he said, quieter now. "I'm James," he said, pointing to his chest. Then he pointed to the other kid, glaring at him for a moment. "And that's Ethan." Ethan waved as he stood up, straightening out his shirt.

"Didn't mean to scare you," he said, and Shane instantly recognised his accent. French. "Or uh, hurt you? How do you say, James?" he asked, and James turned to face him.

"Just say sorry," James said, folding his arms, and Ethan repeated what he said.

Shane hadn't really been paying attention, though. He'd been more focused on looking at the difference between the two. James was really tall, like over 6'8" tall, while Ethan was more like below 5'6". A thought came to Shane, and he asked, "You two wouldn't happen to be in the IPLAY?"

Ethan and James both looked at each other, then turned back. "Yeah?" Ethan said, looking at Shane confused. "How'd you know?"

Shane smirked. "You know Emmy?" James's eyes grew wide.

"Emmy? Like the cello?" he asked, and Shane nodded. "Emmy's like, the best, dude. Of course I know her!"

Ethan shoved his shoulder. "I thought Owen was the best?" he said, elbowing his hip. James lightly smacked his head.

"Shush. Anyways, yeah, we do. How'd you know?" he asked, and Shane shifted his weight to his other leg.

"Emmy told me about two brothers from France," he replied, looking at Ethan. "The accent kinda gave me a hint. And the drums."

Ethan looked back at the room. "Oh yeah, the drums," he said, running back into their dorm. James sighed, grabbing the rest of the tools from the floor.

"Sorry again," he said, and Shane shrugged. "I gotta run these. If Ethan gets too loud, just tell him I said shut up," he told Shane, and he turned on him heel. He paused before turning back. "I don't think I got your name?"

"Shane," he said, waving. He turned at the same time as James, who called a quiet 'Goodbye' from over his shoulder.

Shane finally made it back to his dorm, and opened his door as quietly as he could. It was quiet enough, since Jirard was still sound asleep in his bed. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and took of his jacket. He took out his phone to see a text.

 _Hey, it's Emmy!_

He laughed, sending back a response

 _Hey. Just going to bed_

He turned it off, setting it on his bedside table. He rolled over, but not before getting one final message.

 _Gn 3_

…

Shane woke up to his phone. It went off right next to his ear, the alarm ringing through the room. He rolled over in his bed, not wanting to get up. He tried to hit snooze, but he kept missing. He grabbed his phone and looked at the screen, turning off the incessant buzzing.

There were 3 missed messages

All from an unknown number.

 _I've been watching you. Don't think I don't know what you're doing_

 _I heard you outside. Talking. I don't like you. I don't like anyone who stands in my way._

As Shane read the last text, the phone slipped from his fingers. It hit the floor.

 _Don't think I won't kill you. Or her. Either one works._

A final text came through, but Shane didn't look immediately. He only looked after he got ready to leave. What he saw made him not want to leave.

 _You're choice, Shane. Choose your path._

* * *

 **Remember that 'reason' for Shane being Mr. Nice Guy?**

 **Yeah…. Hope you're ready for the salt**

 **Song referenced is Claude's Girl by Marika Hackman**

 **Love this song omg. It's also about not being able to sleep so I thought it was fitting**


	6. Chapter Six - Downfall pt 1

**Wow this was hard to write**

 **I'm really weird about changing personalities of characters mid-story so fast, but it kinda has to happen in this case**

 **Either way, I hope this is good!**

 **(It hasn't gone by any outside editing, so there might be some odd slip ups here and there)**

* * *

Emmy was finally happy. For once in her life of orders on orders, she was finally happy.

The morning was all a blur, but she remembered seeing her smile in the mirror, a _real_ smile, and wishing that she could just stay that happy forever.

Walking into Poppy Hall without Saniya was a weight off her shoulders, allowing her to talk to whoever she wanted without making up some lie. _I was asking about class_ or _I was returning a pencil_ seemed to be common excuses.

From across the hall she saw a familiar flash of blue. Jogging past a group of girls in the hallway she saw… someone else. It was pretty tall boy, his hair a darkish brown. He was talking excitedly to another kid in a jacket, this one a bit shorter and with far darker hair. The tall one was waving his hands around, and his face twisted a lot as he talked.

Emmy was about to turn away when the shorter kid turned her way. She tried to keep turning but heard him call out behind her, much to her dismay. "You need somethin'?" he had… some kind of accent. Emmy couldn't recognize it, but it was one she'd heard in some American movies.

She turned around to meet his gaze. His eyes were big, and dark as his hair. "Uh… no. Sorry. I thought you were someone else," she said, shifting the books in her arms. "I just saw the jacket."

The tall one smiled down at her, and Emmy felt… comforted, somehow. "Oh, really? Who were you looking for?" he asked, and the other boy made some weird sound from his throat.

"Probably Jared," he muttered, and the tall one half-hearted chuckled.

Emmy shook her head. "It's nothing. I was just looking for Shane," she said, shrugging. "Didn't mean to bother you." She started walking away, but they called her back.

"Hey, wait!" it was the shorter one. "Ya know Shane?" he said, appearing at her side. She turned and nodded. "He seemed a little shocked, but it was hard for Emmy to tell. "How?" he said, quite loudly.

Emmy flinched a little, but responded, "I met him last night. We were both up really early and started talking on the bleachers." She decided to leave out the dramatic details, thinking it'd be weird to tell this kid about her late-night conversation with who she guessed was his friend.

"The name's Jon, by the way," he said, smiling. "And this is, uh…" he looked at his shoulder for a split second before looking at the other boy. "PBG. That's PBG." His tone fell a bit one the last part, but Emmy didn't push. _Privacy. It's a thing._

PBG waved, standing next to Jon and leaning on his should er a little. Jon tried to push him off, but PBG just leaned on him more. "Hey. So, Shane? Really?" he said, and Emmy shifted. She didn't know why they seemed so… weird about Shane.

"I don't know him too well. I mean, we just recently met. I just wanted someone to talk to," she said, and the two boys both smiled.

"Well don't fret, my darling!" Jon said, dramatically putting one hand on his heart and the other in front of him. "We shall invite you to our conversation. It would be an honor to have you join us," he said, bowing a little. PBG shoved him a little.

"Jon, your theater nerd needs to tone it down. You're freaking her out," he murmured, and Emmy couldn't help but laugh. Jon huffed.

"See? She gets me!" he said, putting his hands on his hips and looking up at PBG with a grin on his face.

PBG just chuckled, and turned his head over his shoulder. His face lit up. "Oh, sorry to cut this short, but I gotta go," he said, turning back to Emmy. Emmy shrugged and waved. "Wish you luck in the whole 'Shane' department!" he called over his shoulder, and he bounded off to talk to someone in the hall. Emmy recognized Hana.

"Guess I should go too," said Jon, giving a little wave. "Gotta make sure he doesn't make a fool of himself. May the odds be never in your way," he said, holding up his pinky and thumb in a way Emmy had seem in a movie series before. She returned the gesture, and Jon turned away, walking in a bouncy way to the group of people that was now forming.

Emmy walked up the stairs, the books in her hands growing heavier by the second. When she made it to the second floor she had to put them down for a second, shaking out her hands.

As she did this, she saw what she'd been looking for. A boy in a turquoise and black varsity jacket, his hair short with a widow's peak in the front.

"Hey, Shane!" she called out, gathering up her books. She started jogging after him. She expected him to turn to look at her, but instead he seemed to walk faster. "Hey, wait up!" she called, moving faster up the stairs. He moved faster as well.

They made it to the third floor. She ran up to him, holding her books in one arm to grab his shoulder. Before she could say anything, though, he whirled around.

"The hell do you want!" he yelled, and Emmy's books fell out of her arm. She jumped back in shock from his sudden hostility, her eyes wide. His face looked legitimately angry, his stance hunched over a bit. Then he straightened up, his face turning cold. "Leave me alone," he hissed, turning back down the hall. A kid rounded the corner and Shane just pushed him aside, opening the door to the boys restroom and entering.

Emmy just stood there. _I thought he was nicer,_ she thought, her hands shaking. She leaned down to grab her books and watched a single tear fall and hit the cover of her text book. She just picked them up and walked to her classroom.

When Saniya entered she questioned her about why she looked like she'd just cried. When she realized she had, she threatened to fight whoever upset Emmy.

She was so confused. The one person she'd trusted just ditched her and the one person she thought hated her was the nicest person she'd seen all day. After class Saniya offered by Emmy ice cream later and, against everything she'd believed before, she accepted.

Saniya had recently been forced to let Emmy go to regular lunch, since the tennis coach didn't appreciate Saniya getting distracted during tennis practice. So instead of following Saniya, Emmy walked off to lunch alone, hoping she'd find someone to talk to.

When she entered the room she remembered the boys from her first day back. Luke, Ian, Caddy, Wallid, Jimmy, Jeff, she'd forgotten they existed for a short while. She hoped they'd forgive her for leaving them so suddenly.

She looked around, quickly seeing a table occupied by a bunch of kids in black and yellow jackets, and slowly walked over.

She made it within a few feet before someone noticed she was there. She knew because one of them stood up quickly, his eyes locked down on his tray. The others jumped. Before they said anything, he had already gathered his stuff and made it out the lunchroom door. Luke was the first to notice her standing there.

"Oh… Hey, I uh… I'm sure it wasn't because of you, I swear," he said, holding up a hand in a _don't worry_ kind of way. The other boys turned to see her, and most of them smiled and waved her over.

Except for one.

"Hey, I think I'm gonna… go check on him. Bye," he ran off, his stuff held tightly in his hands as he pushed the lunchroom door open with his back. Caddy.

Emmy didn't know what to think. On one hand she wanted to just sit down and talk to the rest of them, forget everything that happened, pay it off like it wasn't her. But it _was_ her, and she knew it. She only sat down because Jeff stood up and grabbed her shoulder to sit her in one of the seats.

"You're fine. Don't worry," he said, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly before sitting down.

And everything returned to the way it had been. Well, aside from Ian and Caddy's absence. Emmy tried to listen to their conversations, but ended up just zoning out. She didn't touch her food.

After lunch she tried to run off, but was stopped by Jimmy, who ood in front of her with the most heartbreaking expression on his face. "Hey," he said, his voice quiet. "I know you're in a tough spot right now, but I want you to know that it will all blow over soon. We'll talk to Ian and Caddy," he said, and muttered something under his breath. Most likely an insult or threat of some kind. "And it all will be fine!" he finished with a smile, and Emmy gave a half-hearted smile back.

Jimmy nodded, and much to Emma's surprise, he gave her a quick hug. It was a lot more comforting than Emmy thought he'd thought it'd be, and it gave her a little bit of hope.

But she knew that he wasn't right. It had always been this way, Emmy constantly being trailed by Saniya's clingy aggression. And she knew that it wouldn't stop any time soon.

…

The week flew by, Emmy constantly avoiding the people around her. Saniya had been growing increasingly nicer over the past days, and Emmy wasn't sure why, but it was nicer than her constant bossiness. That wasn't to say she'd completely changed, though. She'd still order Emmy around and force her to tag along.

Every time Emmy was left alone she played her guitar. She'd missed playing it, and her love for playing had been returned when she went out that one night. She still missed her cello, though. It'd been so long since the orchestra world tour.

She'd also somehow taken up sewing. Most likely because Saniya had bought a bunch of sewing supplies just to use on a single hole in a skirt she owned. Emmy didn't like wasting supplies very much, so she offered to take them.

One night she'd been sewing on a book bag when she got a text message. It was from Saniya.

 _Tournament this weekend. Gotta go outv town_

Emmy sent back a quick _Ok_ and got back to sewing. Saniya had had a few games before, and it gave Emmy a lot of time to practice her guitar.

Saniya didn't like the guitar. Emmy didn't know why, but whenever she'd tried playing for her when they were younger, she'd always recommend doing something else, or for her to play the cello instead. She'd tried asking once, but Saniya just ignored it.

Finishing her stitch, Emmy put away her sewing supplies and folded up her bag. Jumping off her bed she grabbed her wallet off the counter and a key from the hook on the door. Saniya had tied them all to strings and hung them up by the door on one of those stick-on hooks.

She quickly ran out her door and to the dorm's exit. She passed a girl pushing a cart of robotics supplies down the hall, of whom she narrowly missed crashing into when she rounded the corner.

Emmy made it outside, the heat hitting her face almost instantly. Her hair, now down, flew behind her as her feet hit the gravel with a _thump, thump, thump._ She had no destination, but she wanted to run. Run away from everything and everyone, go somewhere she'd never been.

Or maybe go back home. The home she'd known, the home where she never felt lonely by herself. Where Casper would be waiting with open arms, the home in the dream she had every night on the same day of every year. The day he died, the day her family fell apart at the seams. She wanted to go back before that day, back to Casper and his oil paintings, her father's jokes and her mother's laugh. Back to her home, the one she'd left so long ago.

Wherever she'd planned on going didn't matter anymore, however, because she made it into the hallways of the school just to stop stone cold. A voice was echoing down the empty corridors, speaking and speaking and never stopping. There was faint piano in the background, soft and flowing like the wind, carrying the voice to very corner of Emmy's surroundings.

She'd heard the words before, in a poem. A poem about man's best friend passing away, about their story, and how much he misses him.

Before Emmy realized what she was doing she ended up outside a normally empty classroom. The origin of the sound was inside, and it took all of her effort not to push open the door. Instead she took a breath, bringing herself back to where she was.

She got like this sometimes. She knew she did. She'd get so wrapped up in her thoughts that everything else would blur out. And when she calmed, she slowly opened the door.

Inside she first saw the piano, and soon the boy who played it. It was the tall kid from class, obvious by the dusty brown hair brushed back. His eyes flickered over the piano, and she could hear the faint pushing of the pedal.

Emmy wasn't surprised to see that when the other boy came in view, it was the other boy from class. The platinum blonde in his hair looked almost grey in the covered sunlight. He stood near the piano, and she could see a violin bow clenched in one hand, the violin itself in the other.

He spoke the final line of the poem and brought the violin to his face. Emmy looked closely at the violin and saw something on the side. It was small, but the white and black was noticeable against the reddish-brown of the violin.

It was her orchestra seal.

As she looked between the two, details began falling into place. The boy's earrings, the tall boy's scar that passed over his right eyebrow. It all was so obvious that Emmy was shocked she hadn't recognized them before.

"Ethan? James?" she whispered, placing one foot into the room. They instantly stopped to look at her, James almost instantly standing from his bench.

"Emmy!" he yelled, a wide smile on his face. Ethan took a moment to catch up, but at the sound of her name, he seemed to recognise her as well. James ran up to Emmy, catching her in a hug. "I didn't know you were here!" James said, moving back to look her in the eyes.

Emmy was laughing, still shocked to see the two boys there of all places. Before she could respond, Ethan ran up to her side and gave her a tight squeeze.

"Mon ami! I missed you!" he said, still wrapped around her shoulders. Emmy was _still_ laughing, her smile wide.

"I missed you too! Both of you," she said, and Ethan moved back a little. "I've really been missing the orchestra."

They both nodded. "Same," they replied at the same time, and Ethan shoved James playfully.

"What were you two doing?" Emmy asked, looking back at the piano and violin, of which now sat on the windowsill. "It was nice."

Ethan smiled wider. "Really? Great! I've been working on my speaking skills by reading poems," he explained, clapping his hands. "I'm not very good at English. Yet."

"I introduced him to Kaykzan, and he's been non-stop listening to it for the past two weeks," James explained with a sigh. "He's such a pain sometimes," he said, looking down at Ethan with a smirk.

As the two argued, Emmy caught glance at the clock. 7:40. Just looking at the clock made her feel hungry. She hadn't had a meal since her breakfast, and all that had been was a muffin since she wanted to get to the building early.

"Sorry to cut this short," she said, backing out towards the door. "But I'm hungry as hell" With a wave to James and another hug from Ethan she was out the door, heading back to the cafeteria to grab something. Anything really.

She made it just a few minutes before they stopped serving students. She grabbed a pack of Silverwhales and some kind of ice cream they'd just got and bought it. As she headed back to the door, Emmy heard some commotion from the middle of the cafeteria.

She didn't even have to look up.

"Why does it even matter?!" someone yelled, stomping what sounded like a boot on the floor. "I thought we'd gotten over this bullshit!"

"Please, Mai, calm down," a quiet voice begged, but Mai continued yelling.

The other kid had been silent, but when he spoke his voice rang in Emmy's ears, "I was wrong. Everyone's just been wrong this whole damn time about all of you!"

Another boy. "Shane, please, calm the fuck down. You're making a scene over nothing. All she did was trip on your chair. No need for a temper tantrum." There was a loud crash, the sound of chairs falling, and loud stomping.

"Does it look like I give a shit?!" Shane yelled, bolting towards the door. At least he was until he saw Emmy.

Emmy refused to look up, but she knew he'd seen her when the stomping stopped. Everything froze. The voices, the commotion, her heartbeat, everything.

Without a word she walked to the door. She lifted her head for a moment to catch the face of Shane. His eyes were wide in realization, and the last thing Emmy saw was the form of PBG approaching Shane, and Shane whirling around with his head down in apology.

Emmy knew it was all her fault. After leaving the room, she felt the lack of weight in her hands. She'd dropped her food.

...She didn't want it anyways.

* * *

 **Random fact: Emmy did track as a young child**

 **I'm not 100% about that running scene, but I think it shows how much she loved Casper in a pretty solid way**

 **Also, THANK YOU person who left a review! That was so flattering 3**

 **And if you think Saniya's possessive now, she's gonna get bad**

 **Shit's bout to go down**

 **(If you know who I'm referring to when I say Kaykzan, you're the bomb)**


	7. Chapter Seven - Saniya's Proposition

**Double upload, yay!**

 **I felt that I should upload this in the same day as the last one because this one is under 2000 words, which is normally my minimum**

 **So from now on, if I can't get a chapter to 2000 words, it will be uploaded along side the next one unless I'm in a squeeze to get something uploaded**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

It was happening all over again. The running, the crying, everything blurring. Emmy hated it. The only difference this time was that she knew where she was going.

Her dorm room felt like a relief, but she wasn't going to be there long. Reaching under her bed she pulled out her guitar by the neck, slinging it around her neck by the strap. With it she ran out she still open door, slamming it on the way out.

Emmy was too busy running to really feel the weight of the guitar. The weight of everything that was happening was massive compared to any physical weight she had to carry. Running up the steps of the hall she heard nothing. She realized that Ethan and James must have left, which gave her some closure. She didn't want to talk to anyone anymore.

Making it to the roof she opened the door with a slam. She turned to the ladder attached next to the door leading to its top and climbed. Reaching the top she saw a small flat space filled with packed gravel. She crawled towards the edge and sat behind the ridge of the roof, sitting so she could comfortably fit her guitar in her lap.

And she played. She played more than she thought she had any day in recovery. Everything she knew Emmy played. Every note smudged together in one long chain, and Emmy just kept playing and playing until-

"Emmy," her voice was cold and quiet, but it felt like a scream to Emmy. She shook, moving her hand away from the strings. "Come here."

Emmy heard Saniya move down the ladder, and shifted to follow her down. When her feet hit the floor she looked at Saniya's face.

She looked serious, her eyes slits and her stature straight. Her hands were knitted together in front, one finger slowly tapping at her knuckles. "I know you're upset right now, but please, I need you to listen," Saniya spoke, her voice far softer than Emmy expected. She looked away to the floor, but nodded. "I have so many things I wish I could tell you, but I can't. But what I can tell you is this: you have to stay away from them."

To this Emmy looked back up. She expected to see Saniya's ever cold face, or a sneer. The last thing she expected was to see her crying.

"And," Saniya said, her voice falling to a whisper. "I need you to… to…" she trailed off, looking at the neck of Emmy's guitar. "To do two things. And I want you to listen to me before you react."

Emmy was scared of what she'd ask, but slowly nodded. Saniya locked her eyes.

"I need you to marry me," Saniya said, and Emmy nearly fell to the floor.

"Wh-what? Are you kidding?" she asked, and Saniya gave her the most pleading look. Emmy was frozen. _Marry_ her? That was the last thing she'd of thought Saniya would ask.

"I know t sounds bad, but I promise," Saniya said, taking a step forward. Emmy tried to step back, but her feet were frozen. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't for the best. I just want to protect you."

Emmy gulped, her eyes wide. "Wh… what else did you want to ask?" she whispered, trying to avoid the question as long as possible. Emmy was surprising herself with how composed she was. _Guess 've been through so much shit that it doesn't phase me much anymore…_

"I need you to… break your…" Saniya trailed off, looking behind Emmy.

Emmy got the point. "My guitar?" she whispered, instantly grabbing it from behind her. "But I can't!" she yelled, finally taking a step back. "I can't do any of this! What the heck are you doing, asking me all these questions? Are you trying to _mess_ with me?"

Emmy expected Saniya to last out or yell or _anything,_ but instead…

She started crying.

"I'm sorry, okay?! This isn't what I want either, but I have to!" Saniya yelled, her hands bunching into fists. "I just… I need to…" she started sobbing.

Emmy felt like Saniya was waiting for an answer. She thought it was an obvious no, but as she kept thinking, she came to the realization that it'd just help her, really. She was there to help her family, and if she… _married…_ Saniya, her father would definitely hold his position, and she'd easily get a job.

And though it pained her to think it, she realized she could get a new guitar. She kept telling herself this over and over until-

"Okay," she whispered, a sob following quickly after it. Through her crying she could see Saniya's head shoot up in surprise, and the faint outline of a smile. She pulled her guitar off her back, looking at it solemnly, slowly walking to the edge of the roof. Without looking down she took the guitar in one hand.

Reaching out in front of her she felt the gravity pulling on the guitar and, with a whisper of "I'm sorry," she released her grip. She heard the faint sound of it smashing against the ground below.

Sobbing she just stood there, hand still out as if hoping the guitar would return to her hand. As she stood there Saniya approached, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. You won't regret your decision."

And with that Emmy was slowly moved from the roof down to the entrance of the hall. As they left the building she saw someone hunched over where her guitar had landed quite a bit away.

She couldn't bear to look anymore, so she let Saniya guide her back to the dorm in silence. Her hand still shook, cold from where the guitar had once been.

…

The next morning Emmy awoke, the memories of the last day hitting her like a rock. Her body felt heavy as she moved, weighed down by her decision. But she knew she could do nothing to change her choice, and that even if there was, staying the way it was, however painful it was, was still the best choice.

As she approached her desk, a small box caught her eye in the very center. On it stood a note. " _If you want some closure that this is, indeed, real."_

Opening the box, she saw a small ring. In the center of the gold band there was a small green gem, an emerald. Her birthstone.

With slight hesitation she took it out of the box. Twisting it in her fingers, she looked at it under the light. Emmy held it up to her face for a moment before placing it on her fingers.

She was sad to admit how pretty it really was.

Saniya woke up soon after, taking note of the ring with a slight nod. When Emmy was ready, Saniya was already waiting at the door. She opened it, holding her open hand out towards Emmy.

"Ready to go?" she asked, and Emmy just nodded, unable to speak. Reaching Saniya's side, Emmy reached up to take Saniya's hand, lacing their fingers together. She looked to the floor as Saniya walked slowly out of the room and towards the stairs.

* * *

 **For such a short chapter I sure fit a hell of a lot of stuff didn't I?**

 **This chapter lit a lot of questions. Why is Saniya asking Emmy to marry her? Who was gathering Emmy's guitar pieces? Will I ever wrap up this fucking drama?**

 **The world may never know.**

 **JK most questions are answered in the next 2 chapters**

 **Chapter 10 is the finale of Ark One**


	8. Chapter Eight - Redemption

**OH BOY THIS WAS A PAIN**

 **Warning for this chapter: Lots of swearing**

 **This chapter has the 3 characters who swear the most all in one place at a time on multiple occasions**

 **Otherwise, this chapter is quite cute**

 **BUT NOT NEXT CHAPTER OOPS**

* * *

Shane was mad. Really fucking mad. Mad at himself for believing it all was over. Mad at the threats he got, how manipulative and cruel they were. And, for some reason, mad at Emmy. He didn't know why, she'd done nothing wrong. But he kept thinking she had.

Like it was all her fault for him being in this mess.

So when he heard her following him that morning, he tried getting away. Thought that maybe if he avoided her, everything would just blow over. Or at least no affect him.

He didn't even realize he'd yelled at her until he saw her face, shocked and distressed, looking at him. Shane didn't want to say anything more to upset her further, so he ran off.

He remembered PBG and Jon questioning him in class about someone looking for him. Shane realized soon who they were talking about, and snapped at them mid class. After the bell rang, he quickly made his way to his drm, refusing to talk to anyone.

Everything just seemed to make him angry from then on. Even the smallest things, like his pencil breaking or dropping stuff had him pissed.

He didn't know why, though.

The worst, however, was during dinner. He felt his chair shift from under him, sending him off balance. He caught himself before hitting the floor, standing and turning to see Hana on the floor.

He should of asked if she was okay. Shane knew that. But for some reason, instead of that, he just started yelling at Hana. While he did, Hna just sat in shock. The only person who stopped him was Mai.

"Why does it even matter?! I thought we got over this!" she yelled, and Shane turned on her.

Hana said something, but Shane didn't listen. "I was wrong. Everyone's just been wrong this whole time about all of you!" He realized what he'd said after it was out of his mouth, so he turned away and towards the door.

PBG called out behind him as well, telling him to calm down. He didn't want to hear any of it, so h just turned and shoved PBG, who was now behind him, into one of the chairs. "Does it look like I give a shit?!" he shouted, turning back around to head out the door,

She was there. Of _course_ she was there. He froze, watching as she dropped the food in her hands numbly. Her face was turned to the floor, and with a sob she pushed her way out the door.

Just before she made it out, PBG made it to his shoulder. He whirled around, head bowed in quick apology. He felt PBG's palm collide with the side of his head. It didn't hurt much. At all. PBG couldn't hurt someone, at least not very easily.

Shane muttered some form of an apology, and hard Hana say a hushed 'I forgive you'. Ad he just stood there. He stood there for what felt like hours, eventually leaving only when Main shoved him out the door.

Making it back to his dorm, Jirard was typing away at something. "Hey! How was di-" Jirard started asking, cutting himself off. "Shane?"

Shane just waved his hand, sitting at his desk chair.

"Shane, what happened?!" Jirard was shuffling around in his bed, obviously rushing to get to Shane's side.

Shane just turned to glare at him. "I'm _fine._ Leave me alone," he hissed, quickly turning back to his sketchbook.

He leaned over his paper, eventually hearing Jirard settle down. He began drawing aimlessly, muttering a curse as some water fell from somewhere onto his paper. He looked up expecting a leak in the ceiling, but saw nothing.

All he felt was the ghost of tears along his face, chilled by the now freezing AC that he swore wasn't there a few moments before.

...

 _You've done well, Shane_

 _I guess I shouldn't be surprised you pushed her away when she needed someone most_

...

Shane didn't normally admit when he fucked up. He tended to avoid accusations, dance around questions, and manage to change the subject smoothly, more often than not having it go unnoticed by the other party.

But when you see the kid you've been avoiding walking the halls, hand in hand with their greatest fear, it's hard to admit you _didn't._

He'd been bugging Jimmy about some book he'd borrowed from him a while back and never returned. Shane couldn't even remember it's name, he'd just seen a sticky note with 'Get book from Jimmy' written on it stuck on a random piece of paper in his desk.

He saw them before Jimmy. He wouldn't of had it not been for the _yelling._ Saniya had the voice of an airhorn, and it echoed in anyone's ears who were unlucky enough to hear it. At first he ignored it, expecting someone to shut her up, Jimmy doing the same. He only turned when no one did.

Saniya was standing over a young girl, the girl's hand placed against her face. Saniya's yelling wasn't the surprising part to anyone. It was that Emmy, the girl who normally stopped her, just stood there, making no move to do anything.

When Saniya was satisfied with her howling, she turned back to Emmy with an oddly calm smile on her face. Shane couldn't catch the words she spoke, but Emmy just nodded.

He almost choked when Emmy held out her hand. Saniya quickly knotted their hands together, and they continued down the hall in the direction of Shane and Jimmy.

Shane expected Emmy to do or say something when she passed, but her face stayed stagnate. As they walked away, Jimmy shook his shoulder.

"Look at her hand. On her skirt," he whispered, and Shane looked back. Sure enough, on her right hand, the one clenched tightly onto her skirt, there was a ring, visible only for a moment before they rounded the corner and disappeared.

The whole hall was completely silent. Shane didn't know what to make of everything that had happened.

Then it all clicked into place.

He remembered Emmy saying on the night they sat out talking that she hated jewelry. "It's too flashy," she said, Shane just nodding.

He also knew that she was there for her family. And Shane knew how good of a business strategy marrying into a family can be.

Especially in her circumstance. She's the oldest only child, the only heir. The only chance. And Saniya is next in line for her own father's position.

"Shit," he muttered, leaning against the lockers. He placed his forehead against the cool metal, rapping his knuckles on the locker below. "What do I do now?"

Going through class afterwards was unbearable. He couldn't focus, and he realized how out of it he was when he saw that PBG had more notes on his page then he did.

After class he slowly dragged his way to the lunchroom, sinking into one of the chairs at the normal table. He didn't even take note of who was there, just ped his head to the table with a draw out groan. "I fucked up, guys."

He heard the voice of Josh first. "What happened?" he said, a bit monotonously like normal, but with a bit more worry.

Jared was also there. "Yeah, what'd you do?" he said, tapping his fingers on the table. Boy had some fingernails.

"I ruined someone's life," he answered into the table, slowly lifting his face. He saw the faces of Josh and Jared, of course, but also Satch and Mai, who had set two stacks of books at one of the seats.

Satch looked at him with a doubtful expression. "And how did you manage that? I thought you just moped around nowadays."

 _Ouch. True._ Shane just sighed loudly. "That's the problem! I've been ignoring someone, and I know everyone else has too. So she resorted to-" he stopped, seeing someone across the lunchroom.

It was Emmy. Of course. She just stood by an empty table, books stacked in her arms. Then Saniya approached, food carried in one arm. She reached out the hand of the other.

"Just, look!" Shane cried, pointing at them. They were far enough not to hear him, and everyone at his table turned to see them link fingers and walk away. "They _hate_ each other! Well, at least, Emmy hates her. But now guess what?!" he asked no one in particular. They'd all turned back. "Now they're _fucking married_ and it's all my fault!"

With that he sat back down, placing his head back on the table. He felt someone's hand on his back, and he hit it away. They put it back.

"Shane. Can you come with me? For just a minute?" It was the last voice Shane expected to hear.

He lifted his head and turned to see Caddy standing, a soft look on his face. "Please?" he asked, and Shane slowly nodded.

Standing, he saw briefly the faces of everyone at his table. They looked a bit confused, but also sympathetic.

Shane hated sympathy.

Walking away behind Caddy, Shane tried asking him what it was about. Caddy didn't respond.

They eventually made it out to the tree field. There he saw Ian under the tree, face in his hands. He was slowly rubbing circles on his temples, as if he had a massive headache.

"I found him," Caddy said, and Ian looked up. Shane was shocked to see his eyes bloodshot, as if he'd been rubbing his eyes for a really long time.

Before Shane could ask what was happening, Caddy walked over to a bag propped on the tree. Ian moved his head in a 'come here' kind of way, and Shane quietly sat down. Caddy turned back to them holding a plastic grocery bag. He sat down with the bag in his lap.

"So why am I here?" Shane questioned, looking between the two. Caddy and Ian locked eyes for a moment before they both turned back to Shane.

"We all messed up. Like, really bad," Ian replied, and Caddy nodded. "So we wanna try and fix it."

Shane just looked at him, a bit shocked. "You two?" he asked, pointing between them. They nodded.

"We were gonna do this anyway, but after realizing you'd been dragged into this as well, we thought it'd be smart to include you too," Caddy said, opening the bag. He dumped the contents onto the grass.

It was a shattered guitar. There were a bunch of pieces, the few still held together were barely holding on by the guitar strings. One of the pieces had the majority of a black and white sticker stuck to it.

"It's hers. I know it is," Caddy explained, putting the bag to the side. "It dropped from the roof when I was walking back from one of my classrooms. I looked up and saw someone's arm, and as I picked up the pieces, Emmy and Saniya walked out."

Shane was just staring at the broken guitar on the ground. He picked up the piece with the sticker on it. "What did you plan on doing? We can't get it fixed. It's far too broken," Shane said rubbing his finger along the smooth side of the wood.

"We found the type of guitar it is, though," Ian said, shifting a little. "It's quite expensive, but we think we could easily buy one if we split it."

Shane looked up. "It was her brother's," he said, and Caddy nodded.

"We figured it wasn't hers," Caddy replied, starting to pick up some pieces and place them back in the bag. "When we looked up the type of guitar it was, we saw that it was in production before any of us could have been born. Plus, on one of the pieces, there's a signature that isn't normally on the guitar."

"So," Ian started. "You gonna help?" Shane looked between the two, seeing the heartbroken expressions on their faces.

"Wait. What happened to you two?" Shane asked, watching his fingers. "I didn't even know you two were involved in this at all. Now you're asking for me to help in your redemption plan?"

Ian and Caddy both looked away, and Shane made a sound in the back of his throat. Ian spoke first. "I really can't say anything. I'm trying to stay under the radar at the moment," he said, his shoulders sinking just a bit. "But trust me, I want to make this right, or however much better I can."

Caddy gave a solemn nod. "I'm in the same boat. I'd tell you if I could, I promise, but I think it's better to keep quiet til it all blows over."

Shane sighed. "Whatever. Fine, I guess. I'll join in," he said, standing up. Caddy looked up with a bit of a smile, and Ian gave a nod. They both stood up as well, Ian's knees popping as he did.

Caddy laughed. "We're all turning into a bunch of grannies," he chuckled, grabbing the bag now full of guitar pieces. "Can you guys come back to my dorm after classes? The sooner we order this damn thing the better."

Shane nodded, his hunger finally catching up to him. "Sure, but I'm hungry as hell, and I want a fucking sandwich," he groaned, starting to walk away.

"Dude, same. I swear if there aren't any left I'll stab someone with the cafeteria knifes," Ian half-joked, making his way next to Shane. "And if there's one we're gonna have to fight to the death."

Caddy made it next to them. "Make that a three-way," he said, and instantly choked. "I-I mean that in a not sexual way."

Ian started laughing, shoving Caddy's head with a small "Sure you did," under his breath. Shane couldn't help but give a small smile. However long it lasted, Ian saw. "Glad to see you aren't completely dead inside," he said, with a little bump to Shane's side.

Shane shifted his eyes over. "I wouldn't say that. I think I'm just turning in my grave," he remarked.

They all went back and forth for a while, all three of them. They eventually made it to the lunchroom, not long before lunch ended.

Luckily there were plenty of sandwiches left.

…

 _You should just stick with them_

 _It'd be better for both of us_

...

When they met up in Caddy's room later that day, Shane just brought what he had on him; his wallet and room key. He was there before Ian, and Caddy just let him inside. He was organizing some stuff on a shelf connected to one wall, and Shane just sat on the chair nearby. Since he didn't bring his phone, he just sat for a while, reading the different book covers on Wallid's desk.

Eventually Ian made it. He also didn't bring much, the only extra thing being his phone. Caddy grabbed his laptop and wallet off of his desk.

"Okay, so if we found the right one, this guitar should be… 309," he said, and Shane just sighed. "Like I said, it's a bit expensive, but not too bad. There's some guitar being sold for like, 10 grand."

Ian scoffed. "That thing better be made of silver or some shit," he said, and Shane nodded.

"It says that it'll be here this weekend if we order now," Caddy continued, reaching for his wallet. "I'll use mine, but you guys gotta pay me…" Caddy paused trying to figure out the price each of them had to pay.

"103," Shane said, and Caddy coughed.

"Yeah, that," he said, typing in his credit card number. Ian shifted from where he sat.

"So why are we here? Is that it?" he asked, and Caddy shook his head. "What is it?"

"I don't think this is quite enough," Caddy said, and Shane just looked at him in disbelief.

"So you're saying $309 isn't enough?" he asked, his hand twitching from where is was leaned on the chair. Ian had the same look on his face.

"I mean, no. I don't," Caddy said, looking up from the laptop. He placed his credit card back down. "It's nice, sure, but I don't think she liked it for just being a guitar. If that was the case she wouldn't have been this upset about it breaking."

Shane thought for a moment. He nodded, saying, "I guess you're right. It had sentimental value for her brother, and it was the only thing of his she brought with her. But what can we do about that?"

Ian hit the floor with his hand lightly. "We'll just give it sentimental value," he answered, Caddy and Shane giving him confused looks. "Caddy, does that thing come with a carrying bag?"

Caddy looked down. "Yeah. Why?" he asked, and Ian started tapping the floor with his fingers.

"We'll put a shit ton of stickers on it," he replied, sounding so confident. Caddy and Shane were still confused. "If we get a bunch of different people to put some sort of sticker on it, it'll show her that people care, right?"

Shane realized what he meant. "Then she'll know we all care and…" he looked at Ian with a slightly impressed look.

"Maybe she'll forgive us," Caddy concluded, and Ian sat with the smuggest look on his face. Caddy looked impressed for a second as well, before he scoffed, saying, "Wipe that smirk of your face, asshole."

Shane looked over Caddy's shoulder at the screen. "You order it?" he asked, and Caddy nodded. "I'll give you the money at some point."

Caddy chuckled. "You better. Or else I'll just hate you for being the only person without a sticker."

The three of them continued discussing who the'd ask for stickers and the like. They decided on Normal Boots and Hidden Block, of course, with a few others they knew. Shane thought of asking Ethan and James since they knew her, and decided he might as well if he ever saw them.

When he checked the clock, it read 10:38. "Oh. Look," he said, pointing at the digital clock on the wall. Ian and Caddy turned to read the time. "I should probably head back to my room," he said, standing up. Ian followed.

"I'll see you later," Ian waved, turning and walking to the door. Shane did the same. The walked out together, Caddy just sitting on the floor inside, still typing away.

When the two closed the door, Ian turned towards him. Shane expected him to say something, but instead he just nodded and turned away. Shane watched as he made his way a few doors down, opening the door and leaving him alone in the hallway.

…

 _Don't think you're smart_

...

Letting the Normal Boots club donate stickers was a bad idea. When Shane brought up his need for stickers, he was instantly handed a _ton._ Each one was obvious who it was from.

There were of course some of Jared's face, which Shane expected, but he didn't expect him to have an entire book full. Paul had some campaign stickers in one of his books, and Jon had some broadway themed ones that looked quite old. Jirard gave him an Itty Bitty Kitty sticker that came in one of the boxes, and it was absolutely _covered_ in glitter, which got all over Shane's hands.

Then there was PBG with his relatively normal video game stickers he had from a personal calendar or something, and Hana had one of a flower. Mai, who was in the clubroom more often than not even though she wasn't a member, gave him one of the volleyball team's, and finally, Satch gave him a bunch of motivational 'Good job!' and 'Well done!' stickers he'd found in the library.

When Shane had gotten all of the stickers, he began backing out of the room. He took careful steps, scared that someone might attack him with more stickers. With a quiet, stiff thanks, he ran out of the room towards the other clubroom.

No one even asked why he needed the stickers. He wasn't surprised.

When he reached Hidden Block's door, he began kicking the door frame in a makeshift knock. Ian opened the door with the most 'Kill me' expression Shane had seen since he saw a kid in art class spill ink on a 3 month long project due the next day.

"Help us," Ian hissed, grabbing his arm. Shane tried pulling his hand away, but he was already in the room.

It was insane. Every member that wasn't Ian or Caddy was turning the place absolutely upside down. Jimmy was opening the tops of desks so fast that they would tilt back onto two table legs. Wallid was throwing books out of a filing cabinet, and had the remnants of what looked like it had been an organized arrangement at his feet.

Then there was Luke and Jeff, of whom the former was sat on Jeff's shoulders, pushing around boxes on top of a tall cabinet. He grabbed something and threw his hand into the air, causing Jeff to stumble back and nearly drop Luke. Luke then took favor over holding his hat in place over grabbing onto Jeff's shoulders. Caddy, who was standing in the middle of the chaos, ran to support him. When he caught him, Jeff decided to let go of Luke's legs, and Luke fell backwards onto Caddy.

Shane just stood in shock, Ian twitching by his side. "What even…"

Ian snapped, "Yo! Dumbass! We just wanted some stickers not a fucking concussion!" He stormed over to Luke, who was now starting to sit up after rolling off of Caddy. Ian stood over him, tapping his foot.

Shane started backing out of the room before Caddy jogged up to stop him. "Wait! Those the stickers?" he asked, Shane slowly nodding. He held out his arms, and Caddy reached out to grab them.

"Well, if that's all, then I'm gonna leave BYE," he quickly spoke, rushing out the door. He heard Ian's cry of complaint and Caddy's confusion over the odd array of stickers, but kept running down the hall until he reached the stairs.

…

 _You wouldn't try to steal a married woman_

 _Would you?_

…

The guitar arrived on Saturday, so the three met up that same day. They wanted to give it to her over the weekend, and since they had a bunch of stickers to put on, they needed a bit to prepare.

This time they were in Ian's room, working on the floor while Jeff lay on his bed listening to music. Shane said they could find a different room since he was there, but Jeff just waved his hand and went back to whatever he'd been doing.

They started out with some Jared stickers, planning on covering them with other stickers anyway. They also put Wallid's meme stickers on as well, followed by Paul and Jeff's campaign stickers.

The continued like this for a while, putting the more… _unique_ stickers on first, followed by more acceptable ones.

The entire case was absolutely _covered._

After they finished, Shane remembered the stickers he'd gotten from Ethan. It wasn't hard to find him, since he was a very naturally loud person. In the morning, one of the two brothers had started playing the drums, waking up the entire floor.

Then after everyone started telling them to shut up from outside their door, another kid from down the hall started playing the guitar.

And Ethan started singing. In French.

Everyone eventually just gave up, waiting for them to finish whatever the hell happened, and after a moment, Ethan opened the door. When he saw the crowd he tried closing the door, but not before Shane kicked to bottom of it, causing it to slam open.

H then made his way inside their room, closed the door, and turned back to Ethan. He was smiling like he knew he'd messed up.

"

Ecoute, je suis désolé mais j'osé James à jouer de la batterie et puis quand Nate a commencé à jouer de la guitare, je ne pouvais pas l'aider et je suis vraiment vraiment désolé et-"

"Ethan! English!" James called out from where he stood by the drums. He looked utterly pissed. "Whatever. He said he's sorry, and that he dared me to play the drums. And when the kid down the hall-"

"Nate," Ethan cut in, James giving him a silencing glare.

"Sure, _Nate,_ I don't care. But when they started playing guitar, Ethan recognized the song and started singing. Isn't that right?" James explained, looking at Ethan to respond.

Ethan nodded his head. "I'm sorry, again."

Shane just sighed. "I don't really care. I needed to ask you two a question anyways," he said, following by asking if they had any stickers from the orchestra.

Ethan, of course, had some extras, and gave him one. Shane said thanks and began walking out when James stopped him, saying, "Help her. Please."

Shane pulled the sticker out of his jacket pocket, slightly folded but in a good enough shape.

Handing it over to Caddy, he told him to put it on the guitar itself, and Caddy did just that.

When Shane looked at the mess of stickers on the guitar case, he couldn't help but feel a bit…. Happy? He didn't really know how to explain it, but he felt like the plan might just work.

"So, are we taking it together, or will one of us take it and say it's from all of us?" Ian asked, taking the guitar and placing it into the case and clicking it shut.

Shane shrugged. "I don't care either way. Here, hand me that," he said, reaching for the case. Ian pushed it over. "I'll keep it in my room."

"If you're going to keep it in your room, you might as well just bring it yourself," Caddy pointed out, and Ian nodded.

"Just make sure you give us some credit."

Shane smirked and gave a light chuckle. "Credit for what? This is my guitar," he joked, rapping his knuckles on the case. When Ian and Caddy both gave him 'You better not' looks, Shane just waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry. If I stole credit for this and someone found out I'd _probably_ get slaughtered," he remarked.

In the corner of his vision, he saw Caddy visibly tense, even if just for a moment. He was going to say something, but Ian started talking about his broken TV, and Caddy went back to normal.

"Oh, and Moosey? I need my textbook back," Caddy said, and Ian laughed. "Why are you laughing?"

Ian stopped smiling to give Caddy a cold smirk. "Of course you can have it back, James. I'm so glad you asked," he said, standing to walk over to his desk.

He opened a drawer to pull out the second year textbook, holding it gently by the corners. Ian walked back handing it down.

Caddy looked at him confused before grabbing the book. He instantly let go, letting it drop to the ground.

"Dude, what the hell is that?!" he yelled, wiping his hands on the carpet. "It feels like-"

"Maple syrup?" Shane questioned, smelling the strong breakfast-y smell.

Ian was cackling, and Jeff was looking down from his bunk with a big smile on his face. "I let Jeff use it as a plate one morning for pancakes," Ian said, Caddy instantly standing up to shove him backwards.

"You ass!" he yelled, looking up to Jeff next. "And why the actual hell did you use my textbook as a _plate?"_

Jeff chuckled, lopsidedly smiling. "The kitchen was out of plates, so I asked Ian if you had one. He gave me that," he answered, pointing down to the textbook.

Shane just shook his head. "I don't know how any of you bear each other. Especially you, Ian," he remarked, standing up.

Ian shrugged. "They forced me to join. Can't really leave now," he said simply, standing up and dusting off his shirt. "Also, you need to work on your form James. You're getting weak."

Caddy turned back from Jeff to look Ian dead in the eyes. "You wanna go?"

Before it could escalate further, Shane backed out of the room, the guitar in tow. He walked up the flight of stairs to his floor, and went inside his room.

The rest of the day past comparatively uneventful, the only exciting thing being Jon breaking one of the cafeteria's tables trying to show Satch how to axe kick something.

Jirard only made one comment about the guitar, asking if he was allowed to move it so he could reach behind it. Shane got lucky with the roommate assignments. He would have gone crazy if he had Jon or PBG or god forbid _Jared._

The next morning he realized just how hard getting the guitar to her would be. He could text her to meet her, but there was no doubt that Saniya was monitoring her phone. And since they were always next to each other, there wasn't a chance for him to catch her alone.

Or not.

He walked outside and instantly saw her sitting on one of the benches. She was eating something sat in her lap, which he soon recognised, by smell, as pancakes.

He couldn't help but chuckle thinking about Caddy's textbook, and the sound made Emmy turn around quickly.

"I uh… o-oh, uh…" she stammered, quickly standing and gathering u what she had. She tried running away, but Shane stopped her by grabbing her shoulder. She was shaking and tense, not turning around to look at him.

"Hey," he said, looking away. What should he say? "I, uh… I'm s-sorry," he muttered, and Emmy turned her head to the side a bit.

"What?" she whispered, finally turning around. She was a mess, her normally neat bun now falling out around her face, and her face heavy with fatigue. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry I was so… 't help but feel this is all my fault and-"

"Wait, what? Your fault?" she whispered, looking down a bit. "N-no! Nothing's your fault! It's not anyone's fault but my own," she said, shaking her head.

Shane just crinkled his eyebrows together. "But I ignored you. We all did. You would have been fine if we'd-"

"It would have happened anyways," Emmy cut in. "Saniya was just waiting for me to be at a weak point."

Shane sighed. "But if even one of us had just listened, you wouldn't have been at a weak point."

Emmy shook her head. "Ethan and James didn't avoid me and it still happened. I'm just really conflicted right now is all. Please, don't worry about me. All this does is help my cause anyway," Emmy sighed, sitting back on the bench. Shane sat down as well. "I just… I'm scared."

Shane just let her sit for a moment before asking, "Hey, would you come with me for a sec?"

Emmy looked up nervously, turned to look at Primrose House, then nodded. "If it won't take long."

"It won't, I promise," Shane confirmed, turning to walk away. He heard Emmy's footsteps behind him, sometimes stalling for a few steps then going faster to catch up again. He finally reached the dorm's front door, holding the door for her to enter.

They reached her door, and finally Emmy asked, "What are we doing?" She sounded tense, and when Shane turned to look at her, her eyes were flickering between every door.

"Come on," he said simply, pushing open the door. He held it open and let her walk inside. She looked around, standing in the middle of the room. Her hand was tapping into her thigh quickly.

Before he said anything, Shane walked over to his bed. He leaned to look underneath, laying on the floor to reach the back. His hand grabbed the guitar case, pulling out to sit next to him.

Emmy inhaled. "Shane?" she whispered, him standing up.

He cradled it in his arms, walking slowly over to Emmy. Her hands were close to her chest, shaking slightly.

"James- er, uh, Caddy, Ian, and I all felt really bad about everything that happened, so when those two found the pieces of your guitar," Emmy visibly tensed. "We all pitched in to buy you a new one," Shane help out the guitar case towards her. She was frozen for a moment before she gently took it into her hands.

She looked at it in awe, sitting down onto the floor. Emmy moved her hand over the surface, eventually reaching the latches on the side. She clicked them open, and lifted up the case. One hand shot to her mouth when she looked inside.

"We found the same model, too. I also got one of your orchestra stickers from those brothers, James and Ethan. I hope we got it r-" He was cut off by Emmy jumping up and hugging him. He stumbled back a bit, but eventually caught his balance.

Mmy was sobbing into his shoulder, her grip tight. "T-thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!" she cried, Shane making his way to wrap his arms around her back. He rubbed in small circles, hoping it was comforting.

Shane felt her sobbing slowly falter. She didn't make an attempt to move, though, and neither did he. Emmy eventually relaxed completely, shifting to hug him a bit tighter, leaning her head against his. "Thank you so much, Shane," she whispered, and Shane just chuckled.

"Don't forget, I didn't do this alone," he reminded her, and she started lightly laughing.

"I know, but you're just the one that's here," she hummed, her hug slightly lightening. Her head moved away for a moment to yawn, and Shane leaned back to look at her.

"You really need some sleep, you know?" he commented, ruffling her hair a bit. She laughed, making Shane smile just a little. "You going to head back?"

Emmy nodded. "I also don't want Saniya waking up without me in the room. I've done that before, and she wasn't happy," she half heartedly chuckled, looking back to the guitar. "Now where do I keep that?"

Shane just rolled his eyes. "In here, idiot," he replied, causing Emmy to turn back around.

"You sure it won't get in the way?" she worried, and Shane nodded. "Oh, o-okay. I'm gonna go sleep. See you later Shane," she said quietly, turning to walk out. She stopped after a few footsteps, turning around to hug him one last time. As she walked out, she called over her shoulder, "And I mean it; thank you."

Shane just smiled, shaking his head. Picking up the guitar, he placed it under his bed with a sigh.

He stood up, walking over to his desk to grab what he needed for breakfast. With one final look to his bed, he pushed open the door to go to lunch.

…

 _I know what you did, Shane_

 _Did you really think I wouldn't?_

 _I have eyes all over this school_

 _I warned you time and time again_

 _Every night if I recall_

 _I thought you were doing so well_

 _Last straw, Gill. I'd watch your back_

…

That night, there was a knocking on the door.

* * *

 **Yes I did just end it there**

 **No the next chapter doesn't immediately pick up from there**

 **Yes I am mean**

 **And I love you all**

 **Soor this one was so late, btw. If you couldn't tell, this chapter's over 5000 words long, which is really intense for me to write over the span of two days long with doing school work**

 **Love you all, and see you (hopefully) next Saturday/Sunday!**


	9. Chapter Nine - Downfall pt 2

**Welcome to the (kinda) finale of ark one!**

 **This is the chapter where the main conflict is resolved, but there will be a chapter 10 in this ark. I also don't know if I can get a chapter out next week but I'll try! I have choir dress rehearsals Mon-Wed, the performance is Thur, and my birthday is Friday. So, if I do, I'll have to either write it that day (I doubt that'll happen) or do it this weekend.**

 **Anyways, this is a chapter where if you don't like violence or death, this might have some… issues**

 **If you want a summary, just send me a message! I might even, if someone asks, put a summary in the bottom**

 **Anyways, enough rambling. Enjoy!**

* * *

Emmy was quick to admit that she needed physical affection. It didn't have to be anything romantic or over the top, but things like hugs or even just sitting close to someone made her happy. It helped her stay grounded.

She'd always blamed it on Casper since, as a young child, he'd constantly give her hugs or carry her places. Her whole family seemed to be this way, seemingly resorting to squeezing on a two person couch with four people instead of just having one of them move to a different seat.

So any time she could, she tried showing how much she cared through more physical means. She wasn't a very good speaker, at least not at one-on-one conversation. Hugs were very common, anyone in her orchestra would admit that. Also had a tendency to carry everyone's stuff around, even if it was too heavy for her. That was one of the reasons she'd been out so long when she was injured. The wound alone would have healed in less than a month, but since her knees were already strained from constantly carrying lots of weight with her, they took a very long time to heal.

Emmy felt like she hadn't had contact with anyone in a long, long time. Even though it'd been very recent that she'd seen James and Ethan, or talked with Shane at night, or even playfully shoved Ian ater some snarky comment, she still felt isolated.

She at first blamed Saniya, not just for her personal isolation, but from the real one that was happening right then. But she soon realized that it really wasn't. Sure Saniya was hated all around school, but it was by _choice_ that Emmy was still around her. That she did nothing to stop her constant fighting and bullying of the other students.

It wasn't Saniya's fault she was engaged.

It was her's.

So when Shane said it was _his_ fault of all people, she felt really bad. She didn't want anyone worrying for her or trying to help her with her problems, but they were anyway.

And the guitar. That _fucking_ guitar. That just absolutely broke her. She didn't want to seem ungrateful, she knew how expensive those things were, even if it was split between three people. But she also didn't want to take it and make it seem like all she wanted was people's pity gifts.

So she hugged him.

She hugged him like Casper hugged her on her birthday. Like her father hugged mom the day he was promoted to CFO. How her mother hugged her the day Casper died.

She wanted to let everything out then so she wouldn't have so much pressure building up in her head. So she could last just a bit longer, just long enough to get through this hell.

And he let her. That was the best part. Shane was a kind soul, though he seemed to either be very comforting or very cruel. Emmy guessed she got lucky getting on his god side so fast. Based on what she'd heard from Mai, him and Hana didn't get along for quite a while.

He did something that most people failed to do, especially alone. The only exceptions she could think of where the orchestra, her old friend Renne, and Casper.

They all made her feel like she was, no matter what, always home.

...

The rest of her day was spent indoors. She made breakfast in the dorm, worked in the dorm, napped in the dorm. Saniya didn't like leaving much on weekends unless she had a tournament, which was understandable. But she almost never slept.

That day, however, it was all she did. Emmy thought for a bit that she might be sick, but every time she did get out of bed, she seemed absolutely normal.

She took at least 3 naps in the span of 7 hours.

When night fell, Emmy warned her that she'd have a problem sleeping. Saniya just brushed it off, saying that she had to work anyways. Emmy just shrugged, rolling over in her bed to silently say she was going to sleep. Saniya turned off the lightswitch, the only light being her phone flashlight casting a white glow on everything in the room.

She tried sleeping, but all she could do was roll around uncomfortably. She was either too hot or too cold, her bed too hard or her pillow too thin. She finally settled when she heard Saniya start sifting through the closet. It was right next to her head, but she was too groggy from near-sleep to say anything, so she just pretended to be asleep to keep Saniya from saying anything.

Emmy couldn't recognise what she was looking for. It wasn't clothes, since those were stored on the bottom and Saniya was shifting around the top. Saniya was also the only one who used the shelf in the closet, since Emmy preferred using the underside of her bed. When she finally stopped shifting and grabbed something, it sounded like something made of metal. Either that or some kind of glass.

Instead of going to bed like Emmy thought she would, Saniya walked to the other side of the room to her desk, grabbed what sounded like the keys, and grabbed something off the hook. Emmy could only tell that it'd come from the hook because the piece of wood they all were attached to always bumped against the wall when you grabbed something.

Emmy then heard the door open. She thought about stopping her, at least to warn her that she better not get caught sneaking out, but a small laugh from Saniya kept her quiet. She whispered something as well, just before closing the door quietly behind her.

The bedsheets got caught in her legs as Emmy scrambled out of bed. Something about how Saniya was acting made her feel a major sense of dread, and she wanted to know why. Grabbing the other key, she quietly made her way into the hall.

It was quiet and dark, no lights from any of the doors. The only sign of life was the quiet clicking of heels from around the corner.

Emmy made her way slowly, stopping at every corner until she knew Saniya was around the next. When Saniya made it to the door, Emmy prepared herself, sprinting as quietly towards the door as she could after Saniya stepped outside. She ducked down as to not get caught in the windows, propping the door open very slightly with her foot. She heard Saniya fumble with something outside the door, and saw the light of a phone flicker on the wall across from the door's window.

It took a moment for Emmy to realize she could leave, and by the time she got outside, Saniya was already nearing the Bluebell house. _Why there?_ Emmy questioned, slowly making her way through the shadows of the buildings. She made it to the corner next to the door when Saniya made it there. Emmy didn't even heard her open the door, just saw the trailing light of her phone slowly disappear inside.

She did the same thing she did earlier, catching the door and sneaking behind Saniya by a corner. When they made it to the third floor, Saniya stopped walking upstairs, instead taking a right towards the dorm rooms. Emmy recognized the hallway.

She'd just been there that morning.

Emmy silently prayed, peeking around the corner as Saniya made her way further. _Please don't stop, please don't stop, please please please ple-_

 _SHIT_

Saniya stopped outside Shane's door. He started tapping away at the phone still in her hands before turning it off and shoving it in her pocket. Placing her head against the door, she waited a moment before moving away. She lightly knocked on the door, quiet enough to only wake up someone who wasn't very far asleep in the first place.

Against everything Emmy hoped, someone opened the door. She wanted a better view, so she quietly snuck across the hall to hide in one of the indentions the doors made in the wall. She saw, of course, Shane at the door, the most pissed off look on his face. He was muttering something, his eyes looking more blue than normal with how cold they were. Or because of the moonlight faintly striking his face from a window down the hall.

He said something that made Saniya laugh that same laugh as before, except this time Emmy could see her sharp smile twitching on her mouth. Her eyes were shadowed, making her look unhuman.

It was _terrifying._

Shane looked really unnerved, and tried closing the door, only to be stopped by Saniya's foot propping it's way at the door's hinge. He jumped back a little, and Saniya spoke. Emmy heard her a bit this time.

"...Again, I'll ask you… leave…. Alone," she hissed, her smile turning more into a scowl. Shane scoffed, giving a similar expression back. He said something that look either like 'No' or Mow," but Emmy figured it was the former.

Saniya started laughing. Like, actually laughing, loud enough to possibly wake someone up who was sleeping. Then her face fell into what looked almost… sad?

"Sorry. Wrong choice," she said, her hand dipping into her bag. Shane was just frozen, his shoulders slowly bunching up defensively. He muttered something Emmy didn't catch, then…

A gun. She pulled out a gun. On the side, something was etched in red, but Emmy couldn't read it. She was already sprinting down the hall to catch her.

She reached her just as she lifted the gun and began to mouth something. Emmy didn't know if she screamed or not, but Saniya heard her, quickly turning to face her. It was obvious she tried to lift the gun in defense, but Emmy's already made it to her, hitting her full force across the chest to knock her to the ground.

Emmy followed through, hitting the floor on Saniya with a thud. She desperately grabbed for her wrist, pinning it as well as she could. Instead, however, Saniya threw her off and down the hall a few feet. Saniya scrambled to stand, and Emmy was attempting to stand.

Before Saniya could stand however. Shae had started to wrestle the gun out of her grip. He wisely made sure it wasn't pointed at himself, and managed to knock it out of her hand when he pushed her back onto the floor. He scrambled to reach the gun on the floor before her, only to be caught by Saniya's arm.

Emmy was finally able to stand, running forward to try and pull Saniya away when another figure appeared from a nearby door. He booked it towards them, beating Emmy to Saniya and grabbing her by the waist. He started pulling backwards, turning back to Emmy to yell, "Go! Grab it!" She recognized the voice as Caddy.

She ran past them, trying to grab the gun, only to trip over a bag laid out on the floor. She knocked it back towards Saniya, and hit the floor with a thud.

Looking back, she saw Saniya reach out for the bag, managing to reach inside and pull out something.

Before Emmy could react, Saniya had already swung around and hit Caddy in the side with whatever she'd grabbed. Actually, it was less of a hit, and more of a stab. A shiny metal knife was stuck in Caddy's thigh, causing him to release his grip on her lower body and let her scramble forward.

Emmy was already there, though. She was standing stiff, the gun in her hands. Everyone was frozen, looking up at her, knowing she decided what happened next. Saniya was looking up wide-eyed.

"H-hey! No need t-to be r-r-rash, now! Can't we ju-" she was cut off by Shane tugging on the back of her shirt neck, making her crumple a bit to the floor.

Everything seemed to freeze. Emmy felt the cold metal on her palms, saw everyone's faces all at one, and thought over what she could do.

She could do nothing, but that wouldn't help at all. All that would do was put everyone in danger. She could run, but Saniya would easily break away from the two and, with Caddy unable to run and Saniya on a sports team, she'd catch her and it would all be for nothing. She could give the gun to someone else, but that'd just delay the inevitable. Giving the gun to Saniya was an option, but she obviously wouldn't do that.

There was only one choice left.

In a blur, she pointed the gun right at Saniya, of whom was now look in up desperately. She said no words, but she obviously wanted to tell Emmy something. Something, something, something…

 _Crack!_

Nothing.

* * *

 **I bet some of you are like "Yay, she be ded!" but I'd wait a chapter. Next chapter takes place in Saniya's perspective through the entirety of Ark One, and goes into her backstory.**

 **Also, this Ark, if you were wondering, was titled: Ark One - A Slave in All But Name**

 **Coming this November: Ark Two - Graffiti Hearts Bleed Out**

 **See you all later 3**


	10. Chapter Ten - A New Perspective

**This is probably my favorite chapter. I absolutely love it for some reason.**

 **But my editor, Grace, hates Saniya so much that she is pretty much refusing to actually edit, so it might not be very good grammatically or with spelling and stuff.**

 **I'm so hyped for the next ark now you don't even know.**

 **I really hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Saniya had been raised to never love. Born what some called a 'main character,' the devastation that trailed her was a given. Her mother's words were so permanently engraved in her mind that they might as well be a tattoo.

"You mustn't love a soul that's not of our blood, child. For all those you love shall never love you back and, when they do find love, your lover shall die," She was only 7. Her mother reminded her of this constantly, moving schools at every sign of close friends. People of the same gender were included, meaning Saniya had no one to have as friends.

The only time she had a friend to keep was at age 13. Her parents, then living in Japan, had made a business deal with another bank in Germany. They'd create a joint business, and aim to spread the name internationally. The children of the other family they'd joined, Emmy and Casper, were her first real friends. Her mother couldn't take them away from each other since they went to the same school, their parents were constantly together, and they lived within walking distance.

Saniya's mom sure did try, though.

It worked for a while, and Saniya was at first only kind of friends with Emmy since they were the same age. Casper, a graduate planning to study psychology after a one year break, was out volunteering when Emmy and Saniya were normally together.

Saniya did, however, become very close to Casper when he started volunteering at their school. Since he was planning on becoming a psychology major at some school in America, he decided that a background with working with disabled children would be a nice place to start. He also just really liked children.

She got to talk to him more often, and he'd help her out whenever she needed it. The age gap between them wasn't too great since by the time she was 14 he was only 17, him having skipped a year. They became very close, and she was at their house constantly.

And against everything she'd been trying to avoid for so long, she fell for him. She ignored it, telling herself that if she didn't believe it, it didn't take effect.

She realized she was wrong the day he said he had a girlfriend.

She realized she was wrong when on that same day, a shooter came into her school.

She realized she was wrong when she heard that Casper had died, standing in the way of a room with a disabled child he'd been working with.

After that day, everything fell apart. She avoided everyone and everything, devoting full time to her school work. She supported Emmy through it, but quickly left her behind when she started healing.

Her mother knew it was her fault, and never let her live it down.

"I hope you know what you owe that poor girl," her mother would hiss, staring at her through her sharp glasses. She was relentless , always bringing it up when the families would get together.

At age 15, Saniya was accepted to Asagao Academy. She didn't want to go to a prestigious school, instead planning on going to a local academy instead. But her father insisted in enrolling, and her mother brought up the _genius_ idea of sending Emmy along too. She made Saniya pay.

Her avoiding Emmy had to cut short quickly, since they were roommates and in the same class. Plus her mother said that it was now her job to look out for her.

She did a pretty shit job at that.

Only about one week in, Emmy was mugged in an alleyway. Since she was wearing the school uniform in an attempt to stretch out the size-to-small uniform, Emmy planned to wear it out to the city when they went for food. Saniya stopped by a shop to buy some food to keep at school, and told Emmy to walk on ahead. She luckily caught her just in time to save her life, but not after she'd been severely injured.

The knife wound on her leg wasn't the only wound. When Saniya found her and attacked the stranger, she had stabbed her in both legs multiple times, the side and, sadly, the eye. The leg wounds included severed tendons, few dislocated bones, and an almost shattered ankle. Her side would missed major arteries, but had a lot of blood loss. And the eye wound caused complete blindness in her eye.

The leg injuries were the worst. Each one wasn't too bad, but the sheer amount of them meant she couldn't walk. A wheelchair was her only option, and since Asagao's layout wasn't very wheelchair friendly, she was out for a while.

By the time she was completely okay with walking, and had enough energy to walk across the length of campus, it was already one month away from the first semester exams. Her education wasn't quite in line with what her teacher had been doing, since he'd just been jumping around the book instead of going in order, so they decided to keep her in the program at the recovery center until the next semester.

Saniya had secretly been hoping Emmy'd just go to a separate school, but she came back right on time anyways. She acted like normal, giving her a warm greeting, but quickly sent her off to buy something for her. She couldn't really remember what.

Her world was shattering all over again. She spent every waking moment before then trying to avoid what had happened before, yet no matter what it all came full circle.

So she changed tactics.

Planning it out in her head, she knew the world would do everything it could to make someone love Emmy. It would bend people out of place, make people 'magnetize' to her, just like Casper. Before Saniya knew him, he was always on his own, working as an independent painter. Afterwards, however, there was hardly a moment in the day he wasn't around someone, bringing people to his studio or going to parties he didn't remember being invited to.

Saniya knew this would happen whether she liked it or not. So, instead, she'd just have to pull her away from them. She w the first group to approach her on the first day of school. A group of boys in black and yellow jackets that she later knew as the Hidden Block club. One of them, a tall boy with earrings and a cold look in his eyes, looked at her in both confusion and fear. It was the look of someone who knew you were hurting someone.

Later that day, Saniya was waiting by the walls of the school. In class, instead of listening to her teacher, she focused on the talk of students around her. Two boys in the group with the jackets were whispering back and forth through class about some kind of meeting later that day. One of them said something that caught her attention.

"I really don't want to have to be the one to wake Ian up from that damn tree again."

She decided to investigate, waiting by the gate that led out into the field and train station. And, as she'd guessed, another one of the boys was there not long after. It was the boy with the earrings. She got his attention by saying his name quietly, but he just said "The hell do you want?" and started walking off. She didn't want to be seen threatening a student, so she reached out and pulled him against the wall. He started yelling, so she locked his jaw in place.

"Shut up!" she ordered, not wanting to attract attention. "I don't know what you're doing, but I don't like it. I heard you today, talking to her. I don't appreciate you trying to ruin what I've been working on for so long!" she hissed, moving her face ominously close to his. Anything to get him to leave. Plus, if he avoided her, perhaps all of them would. "She's _mine,_ got it?" That was a lie, she knew it, but it seemed to work. When she let him go, he just put a hand to his jaw. Saniya though she may have pressed a bit to hard. "I don't want to see you around her ever again," she threatened, turning on her heel to leave. Before she got far, she thought about him telling Emmy what she'd said, and turned back. He was in the same position she'd last seen him, not making a move to attack or flee. "And if that isn't enough incentive, then…" she pulled the knife she'd stored in her pocket. "Maybe this is." Saniya knew she wouldn't actually hurt him, but she decided scaring him with death was pretty reasonable. He was gonna die if he loved her either way.

Just like Casper's girlfriend.

After he died, she only lived another week. When on a plane ride out to America to tour the colleges, her plane crashed in the ocean. They found no one alive.

Thinking of that made her want to cry, so she quickly turned and stalked away, leaving Ian to run back to the dorms as she headed in a random direction, eventually reaching the tennis courts. She sat there until it got dark, thinking over her decisions.

 _Can't go back now._

The next one she saw was when Emmy snuck out at night. Even though she thought she was quiet, Emmy couldn't be silent whenever she had her guitar. Her footsteps were loud, and it'd always bump into things. Saniya never slept much anyways, so she was hardly asleep when Emmy left.

Instead of directly trailing her, Saniya just waited around the bend of the boy's dorm. Past it was the soccer field, a quiet place close enough to the dorms to not have to hike, but just fa enough for anyone to hear you if you spoke.

She just waited there for a few minutes before hearing the Bluebell house's door waited for the kid to walk a few steps before sticking her head around the corner.

A boy in another jacket- she was starting to see a trend- was walking right towards the fields. He seemed to be going out on a walk, his hair not brushed like it would be if he planned to stay out.

Knowing now the next person who was going after her, she turned back to head to the dorms. Then the door opened again. Stopping, she turned back to press herself against the wall. This time the kid walked the other way.

Another yellow and black jacket, but this kid she recognized from her class. Caddy. His hands were shoved deep into his jacket, which was odd since it was still really hot out, even at night.

She trailed him.

He was walking to the library for some reason, and walked to the right side of the building where some trees were planted. He looked around, Saniya ducking behind the library to avoid being seen. He then, finally, pulled his hands out of his pockets.

She'd been expecting something like money, something stolen, or even alcohol or something. She had _not_ been expecting a _gun._

But she wasn't gonna complain.

He'd moved some sort of cover to a box under the tree, and he placed not one, but two, guns inside. One of them looked non-lethal, but the other was ominously familiar. Way too familiar.

Another gun of the exact same type was in the hands of the police taken in from the crime scene of a murder. One Saniya was far too familiar with. Casper had been shot by a man using that kind of gun.

The only difference was the faint words etched into the side of Caddy's. The non-lethal, most likely lazer, gun said _Salvage_ , while the other one said _Slaughter_ in red. She stood there as he got up, placing the cover back on. As he turned back in her direction, she hid around the corner again, waiting for him to pass.

She stayed on his trail until they passed Poppy Hall, where she relaxed like she hadn't been there, and called out, "It's a bit late to be walking." The by reeled around, his hands out infront of him.

"I'm sorry I was just I-ah, uh… oh," he started making excuses just to realize it was another student. His gaze hardened. "What?"

She chuckled menacingly, her mind still on the gun, of which he had labeled _Slaughter._ "I thought firearms were prohibited on school property," she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear. She looked up to see his terrified expression. "Am I wrong?"

His hands started shaking, his eyes wide in fear. "B-b… wh… h-how…?" she stammered, his legs twitching like he wanted to move but his feet couldn't. "Y-you… followed me?"

Saniya put a finger up to her mouth. "Details don't matter. What does matter is, I know a little secret and…" she took a step forward, straightening her back. "...you're gonna have to pay for me to keep it."

Caddy's eyes were flickering all over her face, still not moving. "W-wi… with what? I don't have any…" he trailed off mid sentence. "O-oh."

Saniya was smirking, her hand rapping against her leg. "I quite like the name. _Slaughter._ It just…" she leaned down to look him in the face. " _Rolls_ off the tongue." She straightened her back to look down at him. "Now, I must be going. This was fun. I'd like my payment on my doorknob tomorrow. If it's not there… I think you know what'll happen," she started walking away just to quickly turn around again. Caddy visibly jumped. Laughing quietly, Saniya walked back to her dorm.

Emmy asked why she was still awake when she came back, to which Saniya just said, "You have your reasons, I have mine." Emmy started to go back to bed when Saniya asked one more thing.

"Hey, my phone's not working right and I can't access the notes. Can I use yours?" Emmy just shrugged, pointing to her desk.

"Sure, why not. You know the passcode anyways," Emmy replied, rolling onto her bed. "Just make sure you plug it up."

She used that opportunity to put the newest phone number, labelled only "Shane", into her own phone. Emmy'd only sent two messages, _Hey, it's Emmy!_ And _Gn! 3._ The last one made Saniya tense. She sent a chain of messages that, if he'd gone to sleep, he'd see in the morning.

The first two she just told him to back off, and, since Emmy had his phone number, she guessed they'd been talking. The one after it, however, was far more threatening.

 _Don't think I won't kill you. Or her. Either one works._

It was true. If he didn't back off, Saniya would kill him, even if it wasn't by her hands. It'd kill Emmy too. He, of course, wouldn't understand what she meant, but she wasn't lying.

She turned her phone off after sending one final text.

 _You're choice, Shane. Choose your path._

* * *

Before this all went down, Saniya had been dragging Emmy along to practice to keep her away from them. It seemed to be working too, since when Emmy was allowed to go to lunch since Saniya's coach tried to keep Emmy from coming along, Saniya didn't see Ian, Caddy, or any of the other club members nearby, and everyone around her was tense.

She also realized a bit later that she'd been getting a bit too physical with the students. She'd been called down to the office after multiple complaints, but she managed to easily get out of any punishment by bringing up how her father's bank was one of the major sponsors of the school now. She was quickly sent back to class.

She'd always been pretty aggressive, but never to the point where people parted in the halls to let her pass.

Emmy was always by her side now, probably trying to avoid the people Saniya had turned on her. Apparently Shane had yelled at her in the middle of the hall, and Ian and Caddy were nowhere to be seen when she was around.

Then one night, while walking in Poppy Hall, she heard her talking with the boys from class. The boys or, more specifically, the one boy who always fought with Mr. Patrick, and his brother. Apparently they were in Emmy's orchestra. Saniya had hoped she wouldn't have to worry about any of them, and it seemed she'd be okay. Ethan seemed more like a brother or a child, and James, according to Emmy's rare talking, had a major crush on another member.

Saniya had been on the roof, contemplating whether she should go through with the next step of her plan. It'd either be a major success or fail horribly. She had to get Emmy to both break her guitar…

And marry her.

She didn't want to do it, but it was the best plan. If they were married then no one would try to take Emmy away, and if Emmy broke that guitar, Saniya wouldn't have to deal with the most constant reminder of Casper there was.

Casper would always play her music on that guitar.

She sat on the roof, waiting for Emmy to come up. She knew she would. Emmy always played when she was frustrated, and the roof wa the most secluded spot. The clunky footsteps of Emmy bolting up the stairs came from inside. It was dinner time, so something must have happened when she'd bought her food.

Since she was leaning against the building the door to the roof was on, she felt the force of the door swing open. Emmy's shoes made light clinking sounds as they hit the metal of the ladder.

Saniya waited for a while, letting Emmy play for a while longer before finally climbing up the ladder.

Emmy sat on the top, facing the now setting sun. She was just a silhouette, but she was obviously disheveled. Her shoulders were unnaturally slumped, and the hair that once was in a neat bun now lay half around her shoulders.

Sniya took a breath. "Emmy," she whispered, keeping her voice as steady as she could. "Come here." She backed down the ladder, each step heavy with guilt. The wind chilled her face as she watched Emmy slowly step down the ladder. To keep herself steady she knotted her hands together, standing up straight. Her index finger tapped slowly against her knuckle as Emmy looked quietly at her. "I know you're upset right now, but please, I need you to listen," she begged, keeping her voice calm. Emmy was tense, her only response being a nod as she looked away.

She contemplated telling her everything, but she knew Emmy wouldn't- no, _couldn't_ \- understand. "There's so many things I wish I could tell you, but I can't. But what I can tell you is this:" she trailed off a bit, and she felt the weight in her eyes grow heavy. "You need to stay away from them." She felt her voice crack on the last word, and as Emmy looked up Saniya felt the tears burning lines down her face.

"And…" her head throbbed as she thought the words over and over in her head. _How could I do this?_ "I need you to… to…" her throat tightened as if it was trying to hold back the words. "To do two things. And I want you to listen before you react." Saniya waited for Emmy to respond with a slow, hesitant nod. She took a deep breath, keeping her eyes locked on Emmy's. "I need you to marry me."

Emmy was visibly taken aback. "W-what? Are you kidding?" Emmy looked angry and confused.

Saniya's heart ached as she spoke, "I know it sounds bad, but I promise," she said, slowly moving forward. Emmy's whole body was tense. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't for the best," she whispered, trying her best to keep herself from falling apart. "I just want to protect you."

Emmy's eyes flashed around for a second before she responded, eyes wide. "Wh… what else did you want to ask?" Saniya realized she was oddly calm for the situation, which just made her feel worse about what she was going to say next. "I need you to… break your…" she couldn't finish, and was only able to stare at the guitar on Emmy's back.

"My guitar?" Emmy whispered, shifting it into her arms. Her eyes were distraught. "But I can't!" her sudden change in volume made Saniya jump. "I can't do any of this! What the heck are you doing, asking me all these questions? Are you trying to _mess_ with me?"

Saniya felt her heart shatter. She never realized she'd pushed Emmy to the point of thinking she'd ever do this for _fun._ She started sobbing, her eyes closing for a moment. "I'm sorry okay!" she yelled, her crying growing louder. Her hands clenched together, her nails digging into her palm sharply. "I just… I need to…" her voice trailed off into sobs.

She let Emmy remain silent for a while, her face in her hands as she cried. She felt awful, but it was for the best. If they were engaged, there'd be a much lower chance of anyone loving her. And maybe, just _maybe_ , Emmy would fall in love with her instead.

She thought Emmy'd say no. It seemed like the obvious answer. She didn't expect for her to say, "Okay."

Saniya was frozen as she watched Emmy walk to the edge of the roof. Her feet wouldn't move to stop the guitar, now outstretched by one arm, from falling to the floor below. Emmy was frozen even after the sound of the guitar shattering rang through the air. Saniya approached slowly, Emmy's arm never moving from where she was.

"It's okay," Saniya reassured. "You won't regret your decision." She then slowly guided Emmy through the halls, the atmosphere cold. She still heard the shatter of wood against the smooth sidewalk below.

When they made it outside, she saw one of the Hidden Block boys, unrecognisable from where she was, sifting through the now broken guitar. She didn't pay much mind to it, however. She was more focused on getting Emmy back to the dorm.

When they entered the hallways, she got a few strange looks from the girls in the hallway, which she responded to with sharp glares. Emmy seemed completely out of it, especially when they made it to the room. As soon as they walked in, Emmy just walked over to her bed and layed down. Saniya st on the edge, pulling out the ponytail that kept her hair together. She ran her fingers through Emmy's hair until the girl had fallen asleep, and she pulled a blanket up to her shoulders.

Moving away she walked to her dresser, opening the top drawer. Inside was a white box tied off with string. It was a gift from her father.

Pulling the string off, she opened it to reveal a small black box. She already knew that inside sat an unused engagement ring, one he bought for her mother before she ended up proposing instead.

Taking out the box, she gently moved it onto the neighboring dresser, and grabbed some paper and a pen from her desk. She neatly wrote a note: _If you want some closure that this is, indeed, real._

Placing the card on top, realizing that she might need some of that closure for herself.

She silently changed clothes, turned off the light, and whispered a quiet 'Goodnight' before rolling over to fall asleep.

…

Protecting Emmy was hard. In a school full of guys who seemed almost scripted to date girls, keeping Emmy away from pretty much all of them was hard. This school also seemed to have a lot of bisexuals and/or lesbians, so girls wouldn't work either.

But after that night on the roof, Emmy seemed to almost give up. Saniya couldn't bring her to tenning practice for a few weeks since the coach was throwing a hissy fit, so she let her go to lunch. And every day she came back to find her, she'd always be alone. She went into the lunchroom with her for lunch and dinner to buy food, but at lunch she always had to run off. Emmy tried sitting at the Hidden Block table one day, but she soon was sitting off on her own, normally scribbling on sheet music or looking over notes.

She'd also fallen into sewing, and made about 20 shirts in the span of three days. Saniya could smell the hint of ash on her one day when she walked in- it wasn't from smoking though. She'd burned something of hers, and Saniya guessed it was the sweater she'd been knitting.

Emmy must not of realized until afterwards that Casper had owned a sweater exactly like it.

Emmy had always been tense about reminders of Casper. It was the only thing that really got her upset. Saniya guessed it was PTS, but she wasn't sure.

Everything was going fine for a while. Emmy was slowly getting used to Saniya's constant company and Saniya was the nicest she'd ever been.

Until Shane had to go and fuck it up.

It was the morning of a tournament game, so she'd have to be up early. She couldn't sleep very well- she almost never did the night of a big game- so she easily heard Emmy leave. It was most likely to get food, she realized, and Saniya, of course, wanted some.

She slowly got changed into her tennis uniform, and left to find wherever Emmy went. She usually made breakfast in the dorm kitchen on weekends, especially since she had a major problem with buying too many eggs from the farmers market since they're cheap. Emmy wasn't in the kitchen, however it did smell like pancakes. Saniya walked to the door out of the dorms, and was about to leave when she saw a familiar color outside.

Or, more accurately, two familiar blobs.

The windows were distorted, so she couldn't make out the exact figures. But she knew instantly the recognisable strawberry blonde and the turquoise-green of the Normal Boots jackets.

"Damn it," she whispered, leaning her head against the glass. She could just barely make out words, but she caught enough to realize Shane was apologizing.

She heard Emmy say one thing that broke her heart. "Saniya was just waiting for me to be at a weak point."

Saniya wanted to open the door, to tell her that she just wasn't brave enough to tell her at any other time. But instead she remained where she was, pressed against the glass to the outside. The mumbled voiced barely made out sentences, but Saniya realized quickly that Shane was asking her to come somewhere.

She opened the door slightly to see Emmy walking off towards Bluebell house behind Shane. She waited until they reached the door to step outside, walking through the shadows the same night she'd approached Caddy. Quickly she pulled up her phone, tapped a name, and put it to her ear.

The phone ringed a few times before a groggy voice answered. "What do you want?" he muttered, obviously woken up. Saniya could hear his roommate mumbling in the background, but ignored it.

"I need you to listen in on someone for me," she started, and could hear the boy's quiet _No_ from under his breath. "West, listen to me. This is important. You know Shane?"

"Gill? Normal Boots? British?" West listed off, and Saniya just made a sound of agreement. "What you need me to listen for?"

Saniya smirked a little. "Anything about Emmy. He should be bringing her to his room to tell her something," she ordered, and could practically feel West's dread.

"Why am I doing this again?" he muttered, but he knew exactly why. Saniya's family's bank sponsored the school, but more specifically, the track team. West, unbeknownst by pretty much anyone not on the track and/or soccer team, was the track captain and midfield of the soccer team. In soccer he was only on field when the ball just wouldn't leave their side of the field since West could run. And he couldn't just run.

He could run _fast_.

That's why Saniya singled him out; he could easily listen in on conversations and run off without anyone noticing. And he was so unknown around school that even if he was seen, no one would know who he was.

"I'll call you back later," West muttered, and the call ended. Saniya turned her phone off, walking back to her room to wait.

She was about half way through some random kid's croissant when West called her back.

"They started by talking about some broken guitar he found, and then he gave her something. My guess is it's a new guitar. Emmy's voice was really muffled, so she was either crying into her arm or into his shoulder, but she was saying thank you a lot. It had something relating to James, Ethan, and an orchestra, I think? And he's keeping what I assume is a guitar in his room so you don't see it. No if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to bed."

Saniya just set the phone down in shock. Her plan hadn't worked. At _all._ And she knew now that Shane was the main problem here, the one most likely destined to steal Emmy away.

But she wouldn't let him.

She wouldn't let Emmy die.

And if Shane had to die to keep Emmy safe… well, Saniya would rather spend life in jail then have another one fall because of her.

So that night, she snuck out. Grabbing the gun from where she'd stored it in the closet, she ran her hand over the engraved lettering. _Slaughter_. It seemed so fitting now with what she felt. That she'd slaughter anyone to keep her safe.

What the hell had she come to?

It wasn't like she could turn back now. This was the path she'd chosen.

Where had she made the wrong choice?

Or was this where she was supposed to be from the beginning.

The rest of what happened passed by in a blur of movement; threatening Shane, being stopped by Emmy, stabbing Caddy in the leg. She didn't remember any of it.

Her senses returned only after she was looking down the barrel of a gun. The gun that she could've sworn was just in her hand was now in Emmy's. Her entire life, instead of passing by, turned into a single phrase.

 _I want to go back._

 _I want to go back._

 _I want to go back._

And with a sharp crack of the gun…

She did.

She was back, a young child on the day Casper died. The day everything fell apart.

But Emmy wasn't. At least, not her Emmy. She was somewhere else. A different timeline, universe, she didn't know.

All she knew was that she couldn't leave.

She was stuck here.

Forever.

Then she forgot everything.

Just like she had a million times before.

* * *

 **This ending was literally unplanned until I wrote it. And I love it so much better than what I had.**

 **Saniya's life is kind of this paradox where her spirit is always switching- between worlds or timelines no one knows- and every time she switches, she forgets her past life. Her decisions change, and the outcome changes, but she always ends up dieing, either by Emmy's hand or for her.**

 **This time she just didn't make the right choices.**

 **I kind of took this idea from my headcanon for Hana, where every time you reset you aren't a new Hana, but instead the soul of the last one. But every time you do a new route, she forgets, but the world she was just in moves on.**

 **This headcanon is canon in this story, but the only reason she's still here…**

 **Will be revealed later!**

 **Come back soon for the next Ark, Grafitti Hearts Bleed Out!**


	11. Chapter Eleven - Dying Flowers

**Oh dang look I did it**

 **I may or may not have had this done yesterday and messed up by falling asleep before posting. Oops.**

 **I've been at my grandparents house since Thursday. I decided I wanna try and write the next chapter tomorrow, give myself a buffer, but IDK how well that's gonna work out.**

 **Either way, I managed this one!**

* * *

She was back. The hospital room, with it's white walls and white ceiling and white _everything,_ once made her comfortable. But now it just reminded her of why she was there.

Looking around the room she saw pretty much nothing; some visitor chairs, what looked to be a bathroom door, and a table. The only thing of interest was a bag- or well, multiple bags- stacked on the couch, a note with big letters placed on top. _These had your name on them._

Emmy instantly recognized one of the bags from her closet. It normally sat on the top shelf, the same shelf…

Emmy felt her chest compress, as if crushed from the inside. Looking around, the room's walls looked both far away and right next to her. Her depth of vision, though already poor, now seemed non existent.

She tried desperately to breathe or move, but her body wouldn't do anything. She wasn't sure if her heart was beating, or where she was anymore.

Just as the corners of her vision started to black out, she heard someone. They were murmuring something, but it comforted her. It eventually faded into tangible words like, "You're okay," and "Just breathe."

Emmy learned later that she'd been panicking, and the person comforting her was who soon would be her counselor.

She wasn't there long.

After that first panic attack, Emmy's mind kind of cleared. Her counselor helped her for about two weeks before saying she was 'just fine'. Emmy tried to tell her she wasn't, but the counselor refused to believe that, saying she'd taken the death of Saniya far too well.

Then there was the trial.

It was short, all evidence pointing to it being a justifiable homicide case, but nonetheless it was stressful. It didn't help that from where she sat, she could see her whole family, Saniya's family, even Shane, Caddy, and Ian in the front rows. There was also another boy in the jacket Shane wore, but Emmy had no clue who it was.

Caddy looked like he was about to bolt out of the courtroom the whole time. His spine was straight, and he started violently whispering when the evidence of the gun was brought up. But otherwise, nothing of interest happened. It was actually rather boring.

She was hoping to stay in the recovery center for a while, return to the familiar faces, but instead she was sent straight back to Asagao.

Back to hell she went.

Walking through the gates, she no longer felt the joy of seeing everything she'd missed. The students outside enjoying the nicer weather all were silent as she walked past, making her head hurt. She felt everyone's eyes on her, and she _hated it_.

She never wanted to be the center of attention. She just wanted to live an average life, with average people, in an average town, and just be _average_. Instead she got mugged in an alley, pegged with a mentally unstable roommate, befriended the most short-tempered, two-faced kids in the school, got fucking _engaged in her 2nd year of highschool_ , then managed to shoot said insane roommate.

And she was still remaining calm. Somehow.

The dorms were even worse. It seemed that everyone had decided to come into the hallways at that very moment. Some of them just stared, while others whispered to each other. Then there were the ones just leaving their rooms who decide to turn tail and walk back in.

The only person to even acknowledge her was some girl with short red hair, who bowed and said in a oddly stiff voice, "Welcome back!" It freaked her out a bit.

She finally reached what now was only her dorm. She felt a twinge of guilt for being the only student in what was most definitely the largest dorm. Saniya had moved rooms not long before Emmy'd returned, deciding to force the school's faculty to give her the backup room built for four people. The places their beds fit were supposed to be bunk beds.

Her hand shook as she held the key in front of the lock. It took two hands to finally get it to click in, and quite a bit more time to unlock it. She eventually opened the door, pushing inside slowly, her eyes closed.

Stepping inside, she opened her eyes slightly. She saw what used to be her roommate's bed, but was now just an empty frame and mattress. The opposite desk was void of any of the old trinkets Saniya collected.

...

" _Emmy! Help!" Saniya had been scrambling around her house while Emmy waited by her door. It was Emma's 13th birthday, and per her request, they were getting dinner with both their families at her favorite steakhouse._

 _Emmy laughed, running back to find Saniya practically tearing her room apart. "What the heck are you doing?" she joked, and Saniya looked up, a worried look plastered on her face._

" _I can't find it!" she cried, her body slouching. "I had something for you and I lost it!"_

 _Smiling, Emmy walked a few steps into the room. "Well, what did it look like?"_

 _Saniya sighed, plopping onto the floor. "It was in a white bag, and had this blue tissue paper in it. Oh! And it had a sticker on it!" she described, before her shoulders fell again. "I thought it was in my desk, but it's not there."_

 _Emmy walked over to her desk, covered in bunches of toys Saniya had been bought over the years. Most were from her father, but a few, all placed in a single shelf, were from Emmy._

 _Pulling open the bottom drawer, she was met with a white wrapped box in a blue ribbon. Laughing, she gently pulled it out._

" _I think this is what you're looking for. I doubt you'd put a bag in your desk, Saniya," she joked, and Saniya looked a bat confused for a moment. Then she started laughing, the sides of her eyes crinkling. Her teeth, restrained in lime green braces, shone white from underneath._

 _Standing up, Saniya reached her hands out to take the box. "And this is why I need you around," she joked, holding the box in both hands. "I'm a bit scatterbrained."_

" _You can say that again," someone said from the door frame. It was a boy, relatively tall, with the same strawberry blonde hair as Emmy, if not a bit darker. He was tan, making his very light blue eyes stand out even more. "You tried finding your lunchbox once and nearly tore apart the whole kitchen, even though you were holding it."_

 _Saniya just stuck out her tongue playfully. "Shut up, Casper."_

 _Emmy just smiled, taking the box back from Saniya's arms. "I'm just gonna open this now, before you end up throwing it out a window or something," she smiled, pulling the end of the ribbon as she sat down. Casper sat to her right and Saniya to her right as she pulled open the panel of the box._

 _Gasping, she pulled out a box encasing a small porcelain rabbit. "Is this…?"_

" _It's the one you saw in the store that one time, in Russia. It was right next to the bakery we'd eat at every day, and you said you really wanted one, but you knew you couldn't buy one. So I bought one and somehow managed to hide it until now. It hope it's f-" Emmy cut her off with a tight hug._

" _It's perfect," Emmy whispered. "Thank you."_

…

Emmy didn't realize she was crying until she couldn't even see the rabbit on her desk clearly any more. The blue of the ribbon blended into the white of the porcelain, and Emmy rubbed her eyes clear of tears.

Turning around, she gently closed the door, locking it with a subtle click. She stood there for a while, quietly crying. Everything that had happened flooded into her at once, including her sudden realization.

Slowly sulking across her room, she curled up in her bed, shaking.

Until then, she'd seen Saniya as the bad guy. Really, though, Saniya had never been anything like that.

She never spited Emmy, she was just hurt. Hurt over what had happened to Emmy's brother, and whatever had happened in her life before then. She never really talked about it.

And Emmy knew that, no matter how much hell she put her through, Saniya was still her best friend, someone who'd been with her through the worst part of her life.

Emmy could almost feel the blood one her hands as she curled up tighter into her bed, unsure if she even wanted to get up again.

* * *

Shane wasn't sure what to make of the situation. After Saniya's been shot, he zoned out. Apparently Jirard had called the cops after Saniya's yelling woke him up, but he didn't remember any of it. The two weeks after were also a blur, but no one seemed willing to ask him if he was okay.

Probably because he was just fine. In fact, he felt free again, just like when he'd landed his plane from England into Japan. Away from that unnatural force pulling him towards Emily, and now Emmy.

It was different this time, though. Emmy was still there, unlike Emily of whom he was unsure if she was even alive or not. He didn't care either way.

In the short trial he noticed Emmy a bit, but she was blocked by her pretty pointless lawyer. She looked like shit, though, and probably felt it too. But this time, he didn't really care.

When he got back to school, everyone started acting like normal.

"So, Shane, are you going to that dinner this weekend or not?" Jirard was wiping down his shelves of his INK collection, slowly moving the cat figures from the shelf to his bed.

Shane just shrugged. "I don't know. Doesn't really seem my speed. A bit too formal," he replied, his pencil slowly scratching against the paper. It was a project due for his art class, to draw a person from your past using only memory. He thought about doing _her_ for about one second before instead choosing to do his father instead.

It was pretty 'meh'

"Yeah, I'm kinda the same. But I mean, is a buffet I think, so that might be worth it," Jirard commented, setting down the rag he'd been using. "I also heard these kids from some international orchestra or something are bringing a bunch of famous musicians in or something."

Shane jumped a bit, but quickly relaxed back into drawing the rough outlines of the hair. "Oh yeah, I heard about those kids," he muttered, pressing a bit too hard. "Really weird." Before his pencil could break, Shane just lifted it away, moving to erase the mistake he'd just made.

Jirard sounded like he was about to ask him about it before realizing what he meant. "Oh, that," he whispered, taking a step towards Shane. "Hey, I know you said you were okay but-"

Shane just waved his hand dismissively, turning his head away from Jirard. "I'm fine, I swear. Quit asking," he grumbled, flipping his sketchbook closed. Pushing back from his desk, he heard Jirard stumble backwards a bit. "I'm going to bed."

"Shane, it's only fi…" Jirard trailed off as Shane slowly made his way to his bed, flopping face down and rolling into his blankets. With a sigh, Jirard simply said, "Good night, Shane." The only other sound was the flick of the lightswitch and the open and close of the dorm room.

…

He didn't _want_ to wake up early, but he had to. He'd promised to water the flowers daily, and he hadn't really kept his promise.

Shane quietly made his way into his uniform, his eyes tired for some reason even though he'd gone to bed early. He was probably just drained.

He was making his way down the hall when he saw someone else in the hallway. This kid was shorter than Shane was, and seemed like he was heading back to his room. His hair was dark with sweat, and he wore the practice unifore provided to all of the students.

The kid noticed him, and his face fell to a more apologetic look. Shane just ignored him, walking past to reach the door into the stairwell.

The weather had finally begun to cool down, even if by a small margin. It was by no means nice outside, however.

He was walking up the steps of Poppy Hall that led to the roof when he began to smell a very strong smell coming from up through the door. It smelled a lot like…

"Spray paint?" he whispered, opening the door. A heavy wave of the same smell made him cough. "Definitely spray paint."

He looked around for signs of someone else, but no one was there. Taking a few steps, however, he did see the source of the smell.

On the wall of the small room the door he'd just walked through was on there was now giant mural. It was covered in what looked to be nature, things like flowers and trees. On the bottom, an unregognisab;e signature was scrawled out in green writing.

And then there was the spray cans. They were _everywhere_ but the trash can.

What really ticked him off, however, were the many signs of the flowers being poisoned by the paint.

A few bottles were thrown in a nearby flower bed, crushing the blooming white and red buds. A few of them weren't even the right color, now an unnatural neon green or sky blue.

Shane was pissed. He'd been caring for these flowers for nearly the whole year, and now someone was ruining all his hard work on a stupid mural. As he gathered the cans, he noticed a portion of unfinished work on the shed wall.

They'd be back later to work on it.

He could stop them.

It was then that Shane decided that, having nothing else to do, he would take it upon himself to catch this random graffiti artist.

…

That night he went to his room to get ready. Which basically meant grabbing a flashlight and changing into tennis shoes.

Jirard tried asking him where he was going, but when Shane just said "Nowhere" he gave up trying.

The nighttime sky was overcast, making his walk to the main building fairly easy. All he had to do was stand in the school's shadow. At one point the second year teacher who Shane didn't really know passed by holding a flashlight, the light making his tired expression clear. Shane just stood still until he passed, then kept going.

The halls of Poppy Hall were, as he expected, dark. He'd walked to the roof of this building more times than he could count. His night visits of course meant that hearing the group playing D&D in one of the rooms wasn't surprising. Shane was the one who'd managed to move them into a room with a locked door after hearing that Hana had walked in, much to Jared's dismay.

Before he opened the door to the roof, Shane used his ear to the one closest to the mural. He backed up when he heard the faint sound of footprints and spray cans. He braced himself, then pushed the door outwards.

The person, whoever it was, jumped from where they were standing at the shed. They reached down for their bag and looked around in panic.

"Hey, you! Stop!" Shane yelled, running in their direction. They had nowhere to go.

Or, at least, he thought they didn't.

Before Shane made it to their side of the roof, the person had gathered everything and had begun sprinting towards the edge of the roof. They froze for a moment at the edge, and Shane slowed down.

"W-wait, what are y-" he cut himself off as the stranger leapt off the roof. "The hell?!" He ran to the edge of the roof and looked down to see the person climbing down a tree right below them. He sighed.

"Damn it…" he whispered, hitting his hand on the wall next to him, only to recoil when he realized there was wet paint on it. He looked at the new painting.

This one was ocean based, with water on the bottom and a bunch of sea animals on the top. It was hard to distinguish, however, since it was too dark.

Giving up, Shane walked off the roof with a sigh.

…

"PBG," Shane called for his friend after class as they walked to lunch. The tall boy whirled around, nearly hitting Hana with his shoulder. He would have, too, if Hana wasn't used to it enough to know to dodge out of the way.

"Hmm? What's up?" PBG smiled, bouncing on the ball of his feet.

Shane just sighed. "I need your…. Your, uh, help," he trailed off at the end, and both Hana and PBG laughed.

"Nice to see you expanding your vocabulary," Hana teased, and Shane just shoot her a look.

"Well, Shane, since you asked _so politely_ ," PBG said, smiling. "What do you need?"

Shane wondered how to ask. "Well, have you been on the roof recently?" he asked, and PBG just tilted his head.

"We have a roof?" he asked, and Shane huffed. "No, no I haven't been on the roof."

Turning on his heel, Shane called over his shoulder, "Well, I guess we're going on a field trip."

Him and PBG walked up the stairs, Hana choosing to instead go eat at the lunchroom. Pushing open the door, PBG pushed past him to look at the flowers. "Woah!"

Shane let the door close behind him. "Watch out, your inner Paul is showing," he teased before pulling on the other boy's sleeve. "Also, that's not why we're here."

He dragged PBG to where the murals were painted, the new one now dry to the touch. PBG looked at them for a moment before shrugging. "I don't get it."

"Someone's just recently painted these things using spraypaint," Shane explained, picking up a can placed on the edge of the roof. "Problem is, the spraypaints killing the flowers and getting into the air conditioning. I tried coming up here last night to stop them but…"

Walking to the edge of the roof, he threw the can into the tree below them. "They kinda escaped by jumping off the roof."

PBG gasped, looking down the side of the roof before stepping back. He didn't feel comfortable looking down. "Are they okay?" he asked, and Shane nodded. "So, why do you need me?"

"I can't catch them alone, I know that now," Shane said, crossing his arms. "So I need you to stay on the ground while I scare them off from up here. You're fast, so you're the best bet for catching them if they run off."

PBG thought it over for a moment before shrugging and nodding his head. "Okay, I guess. What time?"

"I'll come and get you. Don't worry about it," Shane responded, walking back to the door. He pushed it open as PBG trailed behind him.

PBG was silent for a moment before he asked, "So why _do_ you care so much?" Shane just turned to look at him and PBG held his hands up defensively. "Woah woah, I never said I wouldn't help. I just want some clarification."

Shane thought about not answering or digging around it, but he remembered how insistent PBG was when asking questions. He sighed as they approached the bottom of the stairs. "Well, you know how I get up early to do work in the classrooms?" he started, and PBG made a sound of acknowledgement. "Well, the school knew I was here early, so they asked if I'd take care of the flowers-" Shane was cut off by PBG trying to stifle his laughter. Do you want me to finish or not?"

"Sorry, I just… nevermind," PBG stopped himself from making it worse.

Shane rolled his eyes, walking outside of the school. " _Anyways_ , I accepted since I had nothing else to do. I ended up sticking with it, and even put some of my money into keeping the flowers alive. So I'm a bit more than frustrated that someone is killing my hard work," he answeres, and PBG chuckled. "What now?"

PBG's hand wrapped around his shoulders in a sort of side-hug thing, and Shane tried moving away. He was stuck, much to his dismay. "It's just nice to see you're doing okay. I know Hana really worries about you- I haven't asked why since I think it's between you two-" _Wait, what?_ "-but I trust you enough to keep yourself happy. I don't know if you realize it, Shane, but all of us really care about you." PBG's grip slackened as he spoke, giving Shane the opportunity to try and move away.

He gave a small laugh, more of a breath than anything, and responded, "I know. That's why I've stuck around this whole time." He really _did_ care about all of them, and especially liked to see them happy. He'd never really hated Hana- it was really just a mix of his past and a fear for his friends sharing that fate. But when he noticed how much she really cared about each of them, especially PBG, he stopped being so aggressive towards her.

PBG was smiling down at him, and Shane felt like he could relate to Hana the most in that moment. PBG was the tallest member, no doubt, and Shane was probably the shortest guy. Really, he was the shortest boy of any of the clubs, with Jimmy being the second.

"But really Shane," PBG said as they approached the cafeteria. "It's good to see you're okay, especially after everything that's happened. And if you need anything, just tell us."

Shane just nodded, walking in through the door PBG was holding into the crowded lunchroom.

…

At around 12, Shane knocked on PBG and Jon's door, and, as he expected, Jon started complaining pretty much instantly. He also heard PBG tell him to shut up, followed by footsteps approaching the door.

What he didn't expect was Jeff. He was the one who opened the door, wearing what looked to be running clothes. PBG was right behind him, both of them looking way to energetic for it to be 12 in the morning.

"So we're chasing after some graffiti artist, huh?" Jeff asked as they walked, him and PBG several steps ahead. Shane was trailing a bit behind, and just made a sound of acknowledgement.

PBG finally decided to explain why Jeff was there when they approached the door. "I was thinking about how, uh… _unenergetic_ you are, Shane, and how you'd probably prefer to not jump off a roof."

"Uh, Jeff please don't tell me you plan on doing that," Shane pleaded and, much to his dismay, Jeff just nodded quickly, a smile on his face.

"I've always wanted an excuse to do that!" he said, pushing the door to the outside with his back. "Plus, I'm _so bored_ now that soccer's over."

PBG nodded in agreement, and the both of them started talking about the past season. Shane just walked in dreadful silence, and took a mental note that Jeff should be kept far away from every other roof to avoid a disaster.

After what felt like years, they made it to the door out to the roof. Well, Shane and Jeff did. PBG was still outside by the school door. Jeff had out his phone to text PBg when they'd scare off the person on the roof. That is, if the person was even there.

Shane moved Jeff away from the door and took his place, listening out for any signs of movement. It took a while, but he eventually heard the clatter of the person dropping a can. Shane nodded to Jeff, who quickly hit 'Send' before placing his hand on the door.

He cast one last look at Shane who gave him a slightly worried expression that most likely meant _Please don't get hurt_ before he pushed out onto the roof.

Shane tried to make his way outside as quickly as he could, but by the time he could see anything, the person had already approached the roof.

Then they paused, not jumping in the same place as before. It seemed like they'd seen something…

 _Damn it, PBG. You were supposed to stay HIDDEN_. Shane watched as they grabbed the edge of the roof and swing down, and he heard the crash of someone landing in the classroom below.

Jeff then started _yelling_ to PBG, saying "Go in! Cut them off!" before following the person into the classroom below.

"Jeff you dumbass!" Shane called, turning to run down the stairs. He arrived at the bottom just in time to see Jeff tailing them, almost catching up before the person dodged out of the way to run down the next stairs.

Jeff skidded to a stop, following them down, and Shane quickly made his way after them. On the next floor, the person went the opposite direction of the stairs, and they acknowledged their mistake with a breathy 'Damn' from the running. Their voice was hard to distinguish, but it sounded very feminine. Jeff was about to corner them when they dodged to the right. Jeff jumped in that direction, giving them the opportunity to dodge to the other side. Shane tried cutting them off, but he was too slow.

Just as the two of them thought they'd gotten away down the stairs, they ran back up, tailed by PBG who was full on sprinting. He almost had them, and his hand even brushed the bag they had in their arm, but they jumped into a nearby room, leaving Shane's view.

When he made it into the room, he was met with PBG leaning out an open window, the curtains fluttering in the wind. He could see out the other window the figure running off towards the school's walls.

"Ugh! We almost had them!" PBG cried, hitting his hand on the window frame.

Shane was about to turn away when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Another figure was bolting it towards the figure, who now had begun running the other way. But this other person was _fast_ , and caught up really quickly, pinning them to the floor.

"Yo!" Jeff yelled, pumping his fist in the air. "Come on!" He then ran out, PBG following closely. Shane jogged about as fast as you'd expect.

He eventually made it in time to see PBG clasp the other kid on the shoulder and Jeff leaning over the now rolled over person. The one who they'd been chasing was wearing something over their face, a mask with what almost looked like a fox face on the front. They had on a hood, and their eyes were almost completely covered in dark bangs.

"Now, let's see what's behind door number one!" Jeff said, pulling the mask down and pushing the hood back.

The person, definitely a girl, just sat up, pulling the mask all the way down to her neck and tugging her hair out from inside the hood. "Was that _really_ necessary?"

The boy who'd pinned her down just shrugged. "I thought you'd stolen something. Sorry."

PBG was just looking at the girl in confusion. Then something clicked. "You're in my class," he said,clapping his hands together. "Right?"

The girl nodded, and Shane looked at her confused. "Really?" he asked, leaning down to look at her face. Now that he looked, she did look kind of familiar.

He moved back s she started talking. "I just got here little over two weeks ago. My family's been moving all over the place before we settled down here. Name's Owen Kuo, if that helps at all," she explained, falling onto her back. "Also, professional graffiti artist, if you couldn't tell."

Shane scoffed. "Profesional? Then why are you spraypainting a school building, especially a prestigious one? That sounds like a great way to get arrested," he commented. "Also, you're killing my fucking flowers, and I don't appreciate it."

The girl just laughed. "Youre flowers? You mean the half dead ones on the roof? Yeah, I don't think I'm the reason they look horrible," she mocked, sitting up to stare him in the face. "And, yeah, I'm a professional. I've tagged nearly 90 different countries, and have been in charge of tons of public works. And who are you, flower boy?"

Shane just stood up straight, simply replying, "Doesn't matter to you," before starting to turn away. Then someone caught his sleeve.

IT was the boy who'd caught her, now standing. He'd moved from where he'd been sitting to stand, and had a warm look on his face "I'll make sure she stops," he said, and Shane just looked at him.

H didn't recognise him. "And who are you, again?"

The kid responded, saying, "West Renshire. I know those two from soccer, but you probably don't know me," he said, pointing at PBG and Jeff who were now talking with Owen on the ground. Jeff looked up.

"Oh yeah! He's on the soccer team. He doesn't play any major position, so people forget him, but he's the one we normally pass to when we need it on the other side of the field," Jeff explained, and West nodded.

"I just run, pretty much," he said with a shrug. "I don't mind. I mean, I'm also track captain, so running's really all I do."

Shane nodded, beginning to walk away. "I guess I'll leave you guys to-" he stopped when, in an attempt to avoid eye contact, he saw her bag on the floor. A familiar black and white sticker was stuck alongside the many touristy ones from other countries. "Wait. You're in _that_ orchestra?" he said, pointing at the bag.

Owen looked over to where he was pointing, and her face for some reason softened. "Yeah… I guess. I'm trying to find someone from it. That's really why I'm here. But I guess he's not here," her voice was quiet, almost longing.

"What's their name?" Shane asked slowly, squinting his eyes. He saw PBG and Jeff exchanged confused glances.

Owen sighed. "It's actually two of them. James and Ethan. I thought they came here after the orchestra finished the big tour but-"

"What are you talking about? They both go here," Shane raised an eyebrow, and Owen quickly stood up.

"WHAT?!" she yelled, and West made frantic quieting movements towards her. "Sorry. But really, what? Are you kidding?" Shane shook his head. "Where?!"

Shane shrugged. "I don't remember their room number, but I think they're second years."

Owen was bouncing up and down, a smile plastered on her face. "Oh my god, I'm so fucking pumped!" She then started running off towards Primrose house. She then stopped, turning around with a more calm look on her face. "And I guess the mural isn't that important."

As she ran off, Shane gave a satisfied smirk. Then he noticed a quickly approaching flashlight from behind the arts center. "Oh shit, run!" Jeff called, and everyone quickly made their way inside of the dorm, the angry voice of a teacher drowned out by their giggling.

Shane hadn't had that much fun in a long time.

* * *

 **Making Shane so depressed was making me depressed, so I was like, "Eh, I've had enough drama for now." So next chapter's really lighthearted and cute and ahh**

 **Plus, since it's ark two, there's bound to be some drama aka chapter three/four. I'm way too invested in this story.**

 **Also, I got my cousin hooked on this game and I feel very successful. Luv you guys! 3**


	12. Chapter Twelve - Balanced

**OOPS I DIDNT UPDATE LAST WEEK BECAUSE I OVERPLANNED MYSELF**

 **My bad, honestly, I tried so hard to get this out. I just couldn't seem to find time to write, and I also scrapped the end of this chapter and rewrote it so it was less awkward.**

 **Let's just ignore that and move on to this chapter!**

 **I love Ethan so much he's my little French child.**

 **His arc's gonna make me cry**

 **Hope you enjoy this (very late) chapter!**

* * *

Emmy paced the distance of her room, back and forth, back and forth, so much that her feet couldn't feel the floor beneath her anymore. She didn't know how long it'd been, but it didn't matter, really. After waking up, she couldn't stand to stay still.

The only reason she stopped was when she ended up tripping over a part of the carpet that stuck up, and she ended up hitting her knee on the side of her dresser. She didn't know the carpet was there, however, since she had the main lights off and only had the lamp on.

Emmy's head hurt from the sudden change, and she sat cradling her head for a few moments. When it didn't stop throbbing, she slowly stood, holding onto her dresser for support. She opened her eyes just enough to look inside the top drawer and grab a bottle from between the other toiletries she'd bought.

She really hoped she'd grabbed the painkillers and not her old medication, since the two were in very similar bottles. Looking at the top, she saw a small, white sticker with 'JF' on the top. _James Flipsen._

... _Oh yeah._ On tour, Emmy had frequent headaches from the flying, so Ethan stole from James' ical stash he brought pretty much anywhere in case Ethan ended up hurting himself. That happened a lot.

She tried swallowing one of the pills, but her throat was way too dry. She hadn't really had much water over the past… however long it'd been. She wasn't really keeping track of time.

Emmy hunted through the boxes under her bed until she came across the stash of water bottles she had for when she got thirsty at night. She took one of the room temperature waters and managed to take the pain reliever, just before she heard some loud cheering outside.

Very slowly she crawled to the window, leaning on the frame. It was the only window in the room, but it was still relatively small. She pulled back the closed curtains to reveal what looked to be sundown.

Looking down she saw a group of people setting up tables near an outdoor stage. Many of them were staff members, but a few students milled about. A few of them, the source of the cheering, were just walking up. It was a group of three, two with brown hair and another with red. They didn't have the school uniform on, and they each had the same colored top. Based on the color, since she couldn't see well from the window, she guessed that they were the jackets Shane and those other kids he sat with wire.

They were almost immediately approached by another student who was bouncing around, carrying a few small things. Behind him was another, slower student who carried a _lot_ more than the first one.

They looked familiar, but she couldn't see them, so she opened the window.

It was immediately clear who they were.

The one bouncing around was quickly recognized as Ethan, his voice and accent clear in the quiet air. James didn't say anything for a while, but when Ethan almost ran into another person helping with the stage, he started yelling after him as he followed.

Emmy quickly shut the window, locking it in place. She saw James, the closest to the building, look up before she closed the blinds.

Turning away, she wandered over to her desk before sitting down.

The letter she'd been reading over and over sat open, face up. She just flipped it over, the repetition of the unchanging words or something she wanted to deal with.

It was from her mother. An apology, for making her stick with Saniya for that long.

Emmy found it so hard to think of good memories of Saniya anymore. The two years of close friendship didn't seem to mean anything after what she'd done. Casper's death seemed to be the cause of her sudden shift in mood, and after that Emmy tried avoiding her as much as possible. It wasn't until Asagao that she even started talking to her again.

 _I'm sorry. Everyone._

…

Ethan bounced around the stage setup, leading James around to tell him where to put stuff. They were setting up the banquet the school was letting them perform at. It wasn't even his idea- the school just needed a music group to perform, so they contacted a bunch of orchestras, and IPLAY connected them back to him.

James seemed happy about it. He'd get to see some of the other orchestra members who could make it, most notably the ones close by. He'd been texting Emmy since she came back but she hadn't said anything.

"Okay, so, we have about 20 tables out and we've almost taken up the entire area…" James commented, his breath a bit breathy from the weight of the many tables he'd been carrying around. "I think we need to rethink this before my back gives out."

Ethan just looked round, tilting his head in thought. "Uhh…" he turned to James and started motioning for him to lean down. "Get down."

When the taller one leaned down, he was still a bit taller than Ethan, but he was pretty used to being way shorter than everyone else. Both him and his parents didn't surpass the 5 ft range.

When James leaned down enough, Ethan walked to his side and, without warning, started climbing onto his back. "Uh, Ethan? What are you doing?" James asked, but Ethan just ignored him, eventually getting to a point where he could wrap his arms around the other boy's neck.

"Okay, now stand," he ordered, and James slowly straightened his back. It made Ethan a bit dizzy, the sudden change in altitude, but he could now clearly see the entirety of the field of tables. "It must be so cool to be this tall all the time," he mumbled, placing his chin on top of James's head.

He chuckled. "You should try walking through 6 ft 8 doorways when you're 3 inches taller than them. I don't know how I don't have a concussion yet," he commented, taking a few steps forward. Ethan responded by tightening his grip around his neck and wrapping his legs around his torso. James started coughing. "If you're gonna stay there, loosen up a bit. I can't breathe"

The brothers made their way around, Ethan pointing out where they should move stuff. Eventually a few kids followed them, moving the stuff Ethan recommended. They eventually got about half of the remaining tables into place before Jaes put him down.

"Ugh, my back," he muttered, stretching out his back. Ethan had already run off, noticing a small group approaching. A few other kids saw them and started either whispering or cheering. Ethan approached the three, and one of them looked over.

"Bonjour!" he said, waving. "I'm Ethan! Are you here to help?" the other boys turned to look, and the one in the middle nodded with a smile. "Great! We've been trying to make space for tables by moving them around but i had to stop because James couldn't hold me on his back any longer and the water cooler ran out of ic so we had to send one kid off for more and-"

"Woah, woah, just 'cause you're learning english doesn't mean you should start ranting," James said from behind him, walking up to stand to his right. "Oh, you're the class president, aren't you?" he said, and Ethan looked back to the boy he was talking to. He was tan, dark brown hair falling over his forehead. Him and his two friends had on matching jackets, a bluish green base with black accents in the sleeves and neckline.

The boy's casual lopsided smile became a bit more genuine. "Thank god _someone_ knows in this school," he said, holding out his hand. "Paul Ritchey. And these two are Nick-" he said, pointing to the other boy with brown hair, glasses placed on the bridge of his nose. "-and Josh," Paul pointed to the redhead, who acknowledged it with a nod.

Ethan was bouncing impatiently tugging on James's sleeve similarly to a child. "Come on, we're _so close_ to being done," he complained, but James just shook him off.

"Look, just go set up the tables we have in place. We won't have to move any of those around anymore. The stuff's over there," he said, pointing towards some cardboard boxes stacked by the dorm walls. Ethan started running off, but slowed down when he heard James yelling from behind him.

"Wha- OW!" Ethan was suddenly stopped with a sharp tug on the back of his jacket. It made him stumble back, just fast enough to miss a teacher walking by that he hadn't even seen. He turned to see James hunched over, panting. "Sorry…"

James just sighed, tugging Ethan towards the boxes by the arm. He stalled for a moment, looking up when a window was slammed, but when Ethan glanced to where he'd been looking, he didn't see anything. The two walked on, stopping a few feet away from the boxes so James could lean down to open his bag propped against a wall.

"If I give you these, will you _please_ sit down?" James asked, pulling a box of granola bars from the bag and holding them out.

Ethan smiled wide, nodding his head quickly. "I didn't know you had these! Oh my gosh, remember when mom would put them in- OH MY GOD YOU HAVE ICE CREAM!" Ethan was cut off by his own enthusiasm, making grabby hands towards the tub of ice cream and granola bars in James's hands. He reluctantly passed them over, and Ethan booked it across the grass towards the closest open table.

As he started prying the container's id off, a few other people gathered around, including the born haired kid with glasses from earlier. Ethan looked up to see him open the granola bar box for him, and Ethan thanked him with a smile.

After it was open, he realized they didn't have anywhere to put it. Just as he thought this, however, something hit him in the back of the head. He turned around to see a pack of cups on the ground and James walking by with one of the cardboard boxes. He also dropped some spoons as he passed, and Ethan picked the two packages up quickly. The boy, Nick, helped him with those packages too.

"So first, you take a cup of ice cream," Ethan said, scooping a large scoop of vanilla and pushing it inside. A few of the others did the same. "Then you take a granola bar and…" he took one of the wrapped bars and opened it, then stuck it inside. He tilted it, scooping some of the ice cream on top. "Use it as a spoon!" He then bit off the end of the bar covered in ice cream, chewing happily.

Nick followed his instructions and, after taking a bite, called out for Paul and Josh who were helping a girl carry a table a few yards away. "Guys! Come try this!" he yelled, and the two immediately dropped the table, leaving the girl to scramble to keep it from crashing to the ground.

Nick grabbed two more granola bars and handed them to each of them, showing them what to do. "Good, isn't it?"

Paul nodded, taking more ice cream. Josh just answered by taking another bite.

Ethan finished his off quickly, but when he went to grab another one, he realized they were all gone. "Aww man! They were so good too," he pouted, standing up. He looked up and realized the sun was starting to fall behind the horizon. It was time to finish up.

He jogged to the now finished stage and climbed up, standing in the center. He clapped his hands really loud, calling out for everyone's attention. When he felt everyone was listening, he started talking. "Thank you so much for coming out to help everyone! Sadly, it's time for us all to leave, since it's getting late. Don't forget, the banquet's in three days! I'm sure this is going to be the best one this school's had yet!" he said, before he caught himself. "Well, I mean, they've never really had one before, but still!"

James came on stage to drag him off before he said anything else he'd regret, and he dismissed everyone with a friendly "Good night!"

The two gathered their stuff, James carrying most of it since he carried way too many bags everywhere. Ethan rambled about his anticipation for the banquet as they walked, James just nodding along.

James acted as a parent figure to Ethan a lot, pecially as they got older. He took after Ethan's mom a lot, most likely because she was the one who took care of him the most after he was adopted. Many kids didn't think James and Ethan were the same age because of the height and maturity difference, but Ethan just held onto his childhood longer than most.

James just wanted to keep it that way.

"Do you think the Morning Glories are okay, or should we use the ivory avalanche? Cause I have that flower place on speed dial," Ethan said, but when he looked up, James was frozen, looking off in the distance.

Ethan turned to see where he was looking and also froze. A bit away stood a familiar figure, short with long black hair flowing over her shoulders. She was smiling, waving as she started to run towards them.

James started laughing and ran forward to meet her. "Owen!" he yelled, leaning down to catch her in a hug. "Oh my god, what are you doing here?!"

Owen, also laughing, replied, "I've been here this whole time! I heard you guys were going here, but when you weren't in my class I thought I was wrong."

Ethan smiled, running up to also give her a quick hug. "Mon ami, good to see you!" Owen was only about 5 inches taller than him, coming in at 5'2". She was the closest in height that Ethan knew in the orchestra.

James had finally stopped laughing, and looked down with an amused smile. "We're all second years. You get stuck as a third year?" he asked, and Owen nodded.

"Yeah, there's these kids in my class- one of them's almost as tall as you- and- wait did you say _all_ of us?" she asked, puzzled.

Ethan nodded his head, bouncing between his feet. "Emmy's here too. We haven't seen her in a while, some uh… som stuff happened," he stopped bouncing, and his face fell.

Owen looked a bit confused, but didn't push it. Instead she turned back to James and started to explain all of her travels in a sort of play-by-play manner. James started walking back to the dorms and Owen fell into step beside him. Ethan just stood there for a bit, watching them walk off, before James turned his head to look back. Ethan made a heart with his two hands and winked, and James just turned around quickly with a wave of dismissal.

Finally deciding to follow, Ethan stayed a bit behind them, letting the two talk. The two of them were very close ever since they met in orchestra, and Ethan thought it was pretty obvious James had a crush on her, but no one else seemed to notice.

He took a breath, savoring the relief it sent through his lungs. His legs ached slightly, but the pain ebbed as he walked. The light fell across his path through the trees, making patterns like spiderwebs lace through the cracks in the stone. Ethan took his time, taking in everything around him, so different from where he'd grown up in the city, with it's bustling marketplaces and street music at every corner.

Ethan walked this way until he reached the dorm, where he began picking up his pace to catch up to James and Owen who were already on the hallway of his room. He approached just as they walked inside, still smiling and laughing like they had been the whole way there. James had that familiar look in his eye that Ethan noticed whenever his brother talked to Owen, one full of care. It was different to the care he showed Ethan however- more endearing than brotherly.

As the two of them went to sit on the couch, Ethan moved to grab his violin from underneath his desk. It was a light grey, old and worn, made obvious by the many scuff marks and imprints along the outside. It of course had the seal every orchestra member had on the outside of their cases, but a second sticker, a french flag, was also placed below it. On it he had signed his name in black marker, using it as an identification tag.

James and Owen were too busy talking to even notice him gathering his stuff to leave, and only looked up to see him when he was about to close the door. He'd called out "Play it safe you two!" knowing James would probably kill him later, and shut the door before James could react.

The walk to the Azelia Arts Center was familiar after the almost daily visits. He used one of the empty rooms to practice with James a lot, since the music room wasn't usually used. It struck him as odd that the school didn't have a music club, seeing as many of the students seemed really interested in it, but he didn't mind. He had James, and that was all he needed.

Since he was alone that day, he instead decided to try using the recording booth the tour guide had told him about on the first day. In the detailed list of everything the kind student had told him, that was one of the few things he'd taken note of.

He approached the door and noticed it was open a crack. He pulled it open slowly to make sure no one was inside, then entered, setting down his case on a chair near the wall. The sound booth itself had two microphones, expensive sound foam lining the walls. Everything in the room screamed ''Rich kid school'.

Ethan looked around the table covered in equipment, eventually finding a book with the instructions inside. He read through it, eventually getting to the point where he had the room ready to record.

He opened his case, pulling his violin out with the bow. It was comfortable in his hands, and he ran his fingers along the wood.

James would sometimes make fun of him when he'd play the violin, since his mood would shift suddenly from bubbly and excited to calm and serious. Ethan didn't really know why that happened, but he guessed he just did it without thinking so he'd actually focus on playing. Whatever it was, it was the reason he was one of the top violinists in the world, number two of his ge division.

Owen was number one.

He entered the sound booth, brushing his hand along the wall to feel the foam. It was surprisingly firm, not as squishy s he thought it would be. He neared the microphone, bringing the violin up to his face in the way he always had.

He didn't have his music for competition on him, so he couldn't practice that, so he decided instead to try the song him and James had been practicing. It was an arrangement for a song from a video game James and him would play, composed by Emmy while they were on tour.

The first half was easy, his fingers in a more natural position, but the second half had his hand either really close to the body or in the middle. His fingers were relatively short, so he had trouble learning how to jump between notes like that, but he learned eventually.

He ran through it a few times before switching to another song from the same game, on normally played on the piano by James. It was much slower, and when James and Ethan played together, James would sometimes use it as a countermelody to the song Ethan had just played.

The two had a lot of fun playing like that, building off of each other and experimenting as they went along. It was the way they both learned best.

Eventually he had to stop when he couldn't feel his hand, and decided that it probably meant he should wrap it up. As he stepped out he noticed that the clock said it had been around an hour since he entered, which felt way too long for what he'd done. It also meant he had an hours worth of recordings to edit through which would probably take him twice as long to finish.

He sat down with a sigh, pulling out his phone from his pocket and searching the panel for something to connect it with. Ethan soon found a wire and plugged it in, then grabbed for the book he'd used to set it up.

There was nothing about how to transfer audio inside.

He grumbled to himself as he started searching for anything to tell him how to fix it. AS he searched below the desk, he tried to get up but ended up hitting his head on the bottom.

"Are you okay?" someone's voice came from the doorway, making Ethan jump and hit his head against the bottom again. He just pushed away from the table, reeling around to face is inevitable killer.

Or not.

It was another student, leaning against the doorframe. He was relatively tall, but everyone was tall to Ethan so that didn't really matter. He had friendly blue eyes, and soft-looking brown hair hidden under a snapback. The black and yellow jacket he had on was falling off his shoulder slightly.

"I- I uh… I'm, yeah, I'm fine," Ethan stuttered, his head a bit dizzy from hitting it twice. He put a hand to each side of his head and shook a little to try and clear the weird fog that came over him.

The other boy laughed, leaning away from the frame to take a step looked over His shoulder at the sound board. "Trying to download something?"

Ethan nodded, turning to sit back down. "Sorry if you need to use this. I haven't done this before if you can't tell," he sat down and, to his surprise, the boy grabbed the other chair and sat down next to him.

"Is it just a single audio track?" Ethan nodded, and the other boy started searching the board, sometimes hitting a few buttons Ethan most likely had switched on or off earlier. Eventually he moved to the side d hit a final switch, then looked over again. "Can I see your phone?"

Ethan passed it over, making sure the cord didn't get caught on anything. The other boy did something Ethan couldn't see, and as he did it, he started talking. "Oh, my name's Luke by the way. Probably should have said that earlier. You?"

"Ethan," he said simply, a bit awkward after all the help he didn't know he'd be getting. Soon, Luke handed the phone back to him, taking the cord out from the top.

"There ya go. Might I ask why you have an hour of recordings by the way?" Luke raised and eyebrow, leaning back in his seat like he wouldn't be moving any time soon.

Ethan chuckled nervously. "I just uh, lost track of time," he answered, pointing towards the violin now back in the case. "Happens a lot."

Luke turned to see where he was pointing. "Oh, sick! You play violin?" he turned back around, an impressed look in his eyes. Ethan nodded. He looked like he was about to ask something, but he must have thought better of it since he just shook his head and reached for the bag he set on the floor. "Well, are you good?" he questioned, pulling a pair of black headphones from the front pocket and placing them on the dashboard.

Ethan chuckled. "I sure hope so, cause it's either that or the world has really low standards," Ethan remarked, placing his phone in his pocket. Luke looked up at him, puzzled. "Yeah, I'm good. Number two of my ge division."

Luke looked _really_ impressed now, turning towards him. "Woah. Wait, how big's an age division?"

"Well, since I'm sixteen, my orchestra placed me in line with people below the age of 21. I'm still in the top ten, however, if you count me from 45 and below," Ethan explained, and Luke gave a l round of applause.

"Can I hear you play?" Luke asked, before seemingly realizing what he said. "But uh, you don't have to. That probably sounded rude, uh, sorry."

Than just waved his hand dismissively, standing up to walk back to his case and saying, "It's okay, mon ami, I've been asked worse."

Grabbing the violin, he did just as he had before, but this time he decided to do a song he played in concert. The one that won him second place in the division placement championships. It wasn't too long, only about 3 minutes, but he still cut it off at around 1:30. It as a purposefully emotional song, since that was something Ethan was good at portraying.

The original had words and wasn't known by many, so when Luke started humming the lyric portion of the song, Ethan couldn't help but smile. It was a song he knew for a long time, but James was the person who ultimately reminded him of it when they chose the personal songs to do. The violin in it had been played by the person who was number one at his time, making it difficult as it was.

At one point Luke's voice disappeared behind the powerful sound of the violin in Ethan's ears. Then it returned, this time singing along with the words.

 _Every feeling that I have_

 _It represents me all in half_

His voice was soft, but it fit very well with the tone of the song. _Balance._ It told the tale of someone losing all of their senses, yet still remaining balanced because they knew to focus on that instead.

 _But in the end they all shall fail_

 _Just as destiny foretales_

The song continues with it becoming stronger and stronger until it all drops to an almost whisper in the end. Ethan wasn't looking anywhere but the strings of the violin, drawing the long final note out until it almost just disappeared.

He looked up to see Luke wiping his eye, laughing halfheartedly. "Didn't know you'd be playing that one…"

Ethan immediately started apologising, ashamed he'd already made this boy almost cry. But Luke just laughed, standing up and stretching his back. "No, it's okay. Just, old memories, you know?" With a final laugh, Luke looked up with a smile, putting his hands in his pockets. "You were right. You are good. Especially if you can make _me_ of all people cry. Maybe we should try it on Ian, see if we can break him," he started laughing at his own joke about someone Ethan hadn't heard of, but he chuckled anyways.

Turning back around, Ethan put the violin back, running his fingers along the strings before closing the lid. "Well I'll let you get to… whatever you need to do," Ethan said, turning to leave. He stopped just short of the doorway, craning his neck to look back. "And thank you."

With those last words he left the room, closing the door behind him with his foot. His footsteps echoed through the dim hallway, leaving a path behind him as he walked back home.

…

Owen ended up stealing his bed. Ethan didn't really care; he just took up James's bed with him. He didn't find it awkward really, since they had to share a bed on tour anyways. James's sleep rolling, however, made for some... interesting mornings.

"James I swear to god if you don't unwrap your legs I will throw you off this bed," he muttered, trying to push James farther back in hopes he'd let go. His head was pinning down his arm, and both his lanky legs were wrapped around him protectively.

He was completely stuck, and James wouldn't move.

"Five more minutes," James murmured, shoving his face into the pillow. He ended up rotating his body slightly, pinning Ethan even farther into the mattress.

"There is no 'five more minutes!' I can't feel my hand!" he started shaking,trying to roll off the bed away from his brother who would _not fucking move_.

He heard Owen snickering behind him and he turned his neck around to glare at her/ " _Help me._ "

Owen was brushing out her hair with one of James's many brushes he stored in his desk. "Why would I do that? This is amazing," she snickered, grabbing for her phone on the desk behind her.

"Don't you _dare-"_ Owen held up the phone as if ready t record. "I know where you keep your violin and I'd love to introduce it to that wall."

Owen chuckled maniacally, taking a step forward. "I think I'll take that chance. Plue, no, you _don't_ know where my violin is because you haven't even been in my room." Ethan heard the record button go off.

"Help me, I'm being tormented by these two and they won't let me leave," he said, pleadingly looking at the camera. " _Send help."_

James then decided to actually wake up, lifting his head off the pillow sleepily. "Stop your yelling, I'm moving," he groaned, rolling over Ethan to get off the bed.

"Ow! Was that _really_ necessary?" Ethan complained, pushing James in the back with his foot once he was standing. James fell forward a bit before he reeled around.

He stood up straight in that way he had when he was way too sick of Ethan's shit- normally in the mornings. "I'm going to the bathroom. When I come back I want my bed made and both of you alive. _Got it?"_ Ethan nodded. "Good. Owen-" he turned around before stalling. "Oh, you already found them."

Owen was still brushing her hair, and she just nodded, pointing with her free hand to his desk, "You literally always put your random shit in your desk."

James chuckled, grabbing miscellaneous toiletries from in the closet and throwing them into a towel. He made his way towards the door, turning to give Ethan a final state before closing the door.

"Well sorry, _mom_!" Ethan yelled to the door, turning to pull the sheets back up the bed. He heard a faint 'I'm not your mother' from behind the door, but he ignored it. "SO what happened with you two last night?"

Owen smiled, sitting down on Ethan's well-made bed. "We just talked a lot. Caught up on my travels," she answered, her legs swinging off the side. There was some silence where Ethan waited for her to finish, "James told me about Emmy."

"I figured. He wasn't in a very good mood this morning, which most likely means he was thinking about something he's uncomfortable with," Ethan commented, smoothing out the pillowcase. "We haven't seen her since, but apparently she returned a few days ago."

"Yeah, I saw someone who vaguely looked like her walk in last Thursday. I didn't think it was her, though, but I guess it was," Owen said, her head falling a bit. "I wish I'd known. I could've helped."

Ethan sighed, moving away from the now made bed. "Don't blame yourself. Apparently she didn't tell anyone at all. We can just hope she'll be back today," he told her, and Owen nodded halfheartedly. "On a less depressing note, have you heard of our banquet?"

"Huh?" Owen jumped out of her haze, looking back at him. "Oh yeah, that's why I was there, actually. I figured that if the school was hosting our orchestra, you'd be there," she answered, standing up from the bed. "I should probably be running. I need to get my school jacket from my room."

Ethan nodded, then turned around to ask her a last question, "Who's your roommate?"

Owen rolled her eyes, stepping closer to the door. "This really rude girl from Egypt, Smile or something? She's this fourth year and she won't _shut up_ like holy hell," she complained, her shoulders sagging. "She just complains _all the time_."

Ethan chuckled, bouncing forward. "Sorry about that, mon ami. Maybe we can trade," he said, just as the door opened to reveal James with a towel on his head.

"Trade what?" he asked, looking between the two.

Owen and Ethan just laughed, and Ethan gave her a side hug, bumping the top of his head to her cheek. "Nothing. I'll see you soon, probably in here," Ethan teased, turning around to dig through his closet.

The other two talked for a moment before James leaned down to give her a tight hug before picking her up so her feet dangled about a yard from the floor. She started aimlessly kicking the air to get him to let go, but James just laughed, carrying her out of the room and setting her down before closing the door.

James turned around, smiling, but it fell as soon as he saw Ethan cheekily staring at him from across the room. "What?"

"You two are so _obvious_. Just get it over with and make out already," Ethan joked, making James tense up. "Your sexual tension giving me stress."

James was just staring at him wide eyed before he slouched down again. He then started smiling in a not-happy way. "Oh really?"

Ethan sharply nodded, turning his back for a second to try and grab something from the top of the closet. "It's really uncomfortable to watch you two fl- JAMES!" he was cut off by James grabbing him and throwing him over his shoulder. "Not FAIR!"

"All's fair in love in war," James said, turning around so Ethan bumped his head on the open closet door. "And off we go."

He started walking towards the door, Ethan slapping at his back. "I'm not _ready_ ," he complained, and James just handed him his bag. Ethan snatched it out of his hands, then started to swing it around James legs in an attempt to trip him.

"And I'm taking _that_ back," James said, grabbing the bag from Ethan again. "Now stop squirming, people are staring."

Ethan huffed, going limp so his hands dangled down, swinging as James walked. "I don't think they're staring at only me," he remarked, and James just chuckled.

"Shut up and let me carry you," James ordered, passing by a few other students in the hall. The two of them kept walking, bickering all the way to Poppy Hall. When James put him down, Ethan lightly smacked James's arm, grabbed his bag, and turned around.

"Come on," he mumbled, walking on ahead through the hallways with James right behind him.

* * *

 **Ethan's such a bab I love it**

 **I don't trust google translate but I ain't French so if I put a ton of French that I don't know and it's totally wrong, don't kill me**

 **I'm trying to get one of my friends who took French to help me, but they don't know a lot so it's a struggle.**

 **Sorry again that I missed last week's update, but I just couldn't find time to write. I'm going to make sure I shorten some of the upcoming chapters so I don't finish the story too fast lol**

 **The song Ethan plays in this chapter doesn't actually exist, I wrote it. But it's based on a series of songs by Sleeping At Last called 'Atlas' where he wrote a song on the three main senses, Hearing, Taste, Sight, Touch, and Smell. I know that Balance isn't always counted as a sense, but I thought it'd be cool to write a second song to represent it anyways. It was fun, lol.**

 **I'll see you guys in the next chapter**

 **Love you guys 3**


	13. Chapter Thirteen - Lost and Found

**I legit just locked myself in a room to write this**

 **I'm so proud.**

 **Welcome to RIP Emmy part # too many.**

 **Have fun.**

* * *

Ethan sat in his desk before class, watching as students walked into the classroom and sat at their desks. As the clock ticked by, he became more and more impatient, made obvious by the endless tapping of his pencil.

And when class finally started, she still wasn't there.

Mr. Patrick started talking, but he wasn't paying attention. He stared at his hands, shaking with nerves. Fingernails rapped along the smooth surface, eventually falling into a pattern.

His eyes would occasionally flash to the two empty seats in the front of the room, barely visible from where he sat through the tall crowd in front. One of two boys, a cast wrapped around his knee, was doing something notably similar, and Ethan could see him patting against his leg from the corner of his eye.

This pattern continued for a while before he felt a sharp jab in his side. He jumped, his hands instantly flying out, knocking against the pencils strewn around his desk. He turned to see James looking down, a worried look in his eyes. James's head jerked towards the front of the room, and Ethan stood up a bit to look.

Mr. Patrick was cradling a yardstick between his hands, glaring in his direction. "Mr. Flipsen, would you please stop with that incessant tapping? If you refuse to learn, at least don't distract others from doing so," he ordered, making Ethan scowl a bit. The overconfident look on his teacher's face made Ethan want to slap him.

"Yes, _sir_ ," he replied, sitting back down with a frustrated huff. He heard the sound of Mr. Pat hitting the yard stick against the blackboard. His overly energetic voice faded into the background as Ethan looked down to see a sheet of paper on his desk.

 _What's wrong?_ was scrawled out along the top in French, the handwriting soft and curvy in the way James always wrote. Easy to read.

 _She's not here. It's been almost a week,_ he wrote back, his handwriting a sharp contrast against his brother's, pointy and fast.

 _Emmy?_

 _No the girl with a cold who sits two seats down YES EMMY_

 _Sorry, just making sure. Think she's okay?_

 _No_

 _Lets ask those kids she was hanging out with after class during lunch_

 _You ask that one kid, I don't like him_

 _British one?_

 _Yeah, I'll take the big group_

 _Sounds good_

 _I'm scared_

James paused, his hand shaking over the paper.

 _Me too_

…

After class, they separated at the door, James heading towards the third years and Ethan to the lunchroom. As he walked he slowly went faster, eventually falling into a near sprint towards the lunchroom. He was one of the first to enter, so he paced a bit around the tables as he waited. He eventually settled in the back of the room, watching the students walk in.

The first kid he noticed in the jacket he was searching for was shorter, with short hair that made his ears easily visible. Ethan jogged over, catching him by the jacket. "Excuse me?"

The boy turned around, head slightly tilted. "Can I help you?" he asked, hands in his pockets.

Ethan fumbled over his words, trying to think of what to say. "Uh, you know Emmy, right?" The boy's face lit up a bit.

"Yeah, I did. Why? Is she okay?" the boy's hands fell out of his pockets, and his body leaned forward a bit.

"I was wondering if you'd seen her?" Ethan asked, but the 'No' he got in response was a surprise. The boy wouldn't have asked if he'd seen her. "Well, do you know if any of your friends have? The ones with the jackets?" He pointed to the black and yellow varsity jacket the other boy was wearing.

"Uh, I'm not sure. A few of them are over there, we can go ask?" he offered, and Ethan nodded. The two walked together towards a table in the back. "Name's Jimmy."

Ethan looked up, a sad smile on his face. "Ethan."

The two finally made it to the ble where three other boys sat. One of them was familiar. They all looked up from where they'd been having what seemed to be an argument, and the one in the hat waved. "Yo, Ethan!"

Ethan waved halfheartedly, making Luke's face fall slightly. Jimmy cut off their greeting by saying, "Have any of you seen Emmy recently?"

Luke shook his head, his eyes still locked on Ethan. The boy to his left, slightly taller with black earrings, also shook his head. Ethan looked hopefully to the last boy, the oldest looking with swoopy brown hair.

But he just said, "Sorry, no," and Ethan's whole body sagged. Next to him, Jimmy turned around, waving down someone.

"Caddy, Wallid, get out of line and get the hell over here!" he yelled, and Ethan turned to see the two boys in his class sigh and walk towards him. The one in glasses was supporting the one who Ethan now recognised as Cast Boy. "Have you two seen Emmy since the incident?"

The one with glasses shook his head, pushing his glasses up from where they fell. He set down Cast Boy on one of the chairs, then sat next to him.

Cast Boy responded, "If you count court," he said, before seemingly realizing something. "Oh wait, I saw her walk into the school, I think? It was hard to tell, but it looked like her from a distance."

Ethan sighed, hands shaking by his side. "No, I meant after that," he whispered, looking up at everyone. "Thank you for telling me."

"Sorry we couldn't be of help," the oldest looking one said, and Ethan shook his head.

Luke spoke up, "If we can do anything, just tell us," and Ethan nodded, turning to walk away. He saw James run into the cafeteria, looking around frantically. His eyes landed on him and he sprinted over.

Ethan met him in the middle. "You find out anything?" he asked, and James doubled over, holding himself up on his knees. "James?"

James straightened up, his eyes frantic. "I found the kid, Shane. He was talking with a few other kids, and two of them, these girls, said they'd seen her wander to the bathroom at random times. They said that otherwise she's been locked in her room, not eating," he explained quickly, grabbing onto Ethan's shoulders. "We need to find her. _Now_."

Ethan heard someone run up behind him. "What's going on?" Owen's voice said, approaching his right.

James turned back to her. "Emmy, she's locked herself in her room and hasn't left. She could be _dieing_ in there and we wouldn't know and I don't know what the fuck I'd do if I knew she died and I didn't do anything and-"

"James, stop! Let's go!" Ethan shook his brother out of his rant, then passed him to start sprinting towards the dorms. He heard Owen trying to calm James down from behind him and how it didn't seem to be doing much since he was still anxiously rambling.

Ethan quickly made his way through the Primrose House, running up the steps. He stopped when Owen called out that he needed to turn, and resumed his pace down the hall. He stopped to wait on Owen, since she was the one with the best guess as to where Emmy would be.

"Her and Saniya were roomies?" she asked, and James just made a sound of agreement. "Big room. 427. Definitely. Follow me," Owen ran past them, turning right at a fork in the hallways. She approached the end of the hall before stopping at the last door, a good distance away from the rest.

James pushed past her, then proceed to desperately knock with both arms on the door. "Emmy?! Are you there?!" he said, his voice high and panicked. Owen had to stop his by grabbing his arms, and Ethan took his place by placing his head against the door.

He listened for any sign of life, and was met with a heavy crash followed by a small clattering from inside. " _Shit what do we do_!" he yelled, tugging on the handle. The other two must've heard it too, cause James followed him by also tugging on the handle.

Owen grabbed them both by the arms, pulling them away. "Back up," she said, and the two brother put their backs on the wall. Owen lightly knocked around the edge of the door, eventually stopping on a higher portion near the door handle. She took a step back, lifted her leg, and kicked out with the force of a bull.

It worked. The door flew open, revealing a half empty dorm room .The lights were out, the only light coming from the doorway and from between curtains covering the single window.

Owen blocked his vision, but both her and James gasped. Owen covered her mouth while James ran forward, falling to his knees a few feet inside. Ethan pushed past her to look. He kind of wished he hadn't.

Emmy was lying on the floor, her head now cradled in James's hands. A knife and pill bottle were on the floor near her, and her hand was… bleeding.

Ethan ran forward, grabbing onto her hand. There was a gash from her wrist down her palm. The knife, more specifically a pocket knife, also had traces of blood, telling Ethan that that was what caused the gash. The lid of the pill bottle was near him, and on it he saw his brother's initials, _JF,_ printed on it.

"Emmy! Emmy, please, wake up! Come on!" James cried from next to him, desperately shaking her shoulders in hopes her eyes would open. Owen appeared next to them, leaning over to grab a water bottle from under the dresser they were next to.

"Try this!" she said, pushing the water into James's hand. He took it, opened it frantically, and lifted Emmy's head. He tilted the water so it went in her mouth, then closed her jaw. He leaned her head back, and waited.

It took a moment, but eventually she stirred. Then she shot up, coughing up the water onto the floor. James, now crying, leaned forward to give her a hug. "You're okay! Oh my god you're okay…"

Emmy took a moment to breathe, most likely processing, before she jumped away, leaving James to catch himself on the floor. He looked up in shock towards Emmy, of whom was now balled up a few feet away, cradling her wounded hand.

"W-what are you…?" she questioned, looking to her door which was practically hanging off it's hinges. "Why?" She looked back to James, who was still a bit shocked from everything. "The _hell are you guys doing?!"_

Everyone was sitting in silence for a moment before Ethan spoke up, "We were making sure you were okay."

Emmy's eyes were dilated, flickering between them. Her eyes landed on Owen for a bit longer, but she eventually said, "I… I'm fine"

" _Fine?!"_ James yelled, making the girl tense. "You were bleeding on the floor surrounded by my painkillers! I don't think that's very _fine_."

Ethan nodded, slowly moving towards her. Emmy didn't make any move to go away. "Emmy, please. I know how hard you get on yourself, and you've been through some bad shit, but I promise you, it's okay," he whispered, and he watched Emmy's shoulders fall. "You did nothing wrong."

"You're scaring us, Emmy," James continued, also moving closer. When he was in range, he placed his hand on her upper arm. "You're scaring _me_."

Emmy started sobbing, her eyes closing as tears burned down her face. She looked so broken. She moved forward, wrapping her arms around James in a desperate hug.

"I'm sorry," she muttered into James's sleeve between cries. "Sorry, sorry, sorry."

"No, no, it's okay. Everything's okay," James whispered, placing his head on top of her messy hair. Ethan moved forward, joining the hug. Owen did the same. As Emmy finally calmed down, James rubbed in circles on her back. "Everything's okay now. I promise."

* * *

 **Emmy's about to come back and I swear that it gets better from now on.**

 **...at least, for Emmy it will**

 **See you all next time...**


	14. Chapter Fourteen - Désolé Monsieur

**My upload date is just getting later and later, isn't it?**

 **Well, sorry to say that next week I probably won't have a chapter. It'll be exam week and, even though my class days are at** _ **max**_ **from 8:00 to 10:00, the rest of that day will be spent either in the library or on group calls with study groups. BUT the plus side is, I'll be on Winter Break after this!**

 _ **YAY**_

 **I'm so sick of Latin I just want it to be over with .-.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy this? It was a major pain to write since I rewrote a scene in a separate perspective, similar to Saniya's chapter. It took way too long, but I like it.**

 **3**

* * *

Emmy didn't expect to wake up to anyone, especially not her three friends shaking her. She saw James's distressed face, and how it became more relieved when he realized she was awake.

She felt a heavy weight in the back of her throat, and she pushed past James to cough up whatever it was on the floor. Her head was reeling, and she felt a sharp pain in the palm of her hand. Before she knew what had happened, she felt something wrapped tight around her ribcage, making it hard to breathe. A voice was saying something but she didn't understand.

In an attempt to make the pressure stop, she pushed away, skidding a few feet away to turn around. She saw James sitting back in shock, Ethan and Owen behind him.

"Wh-what are you..?" she stuttered, just now processing that her three friends- one of whom she didn't even know was at the school- were all surrounding her in her room. Looking past them she saw her door, wide open and barely holding on. "Why?" she whispered, looking back. James, now a bit less shocked, had a sorrowful look on his face, eyes pushed down by his eyebrows. "The _hell are you guys doing?!"_

She didn't understand. Her head hurt- scratch that, her everything hurt- and she had a group of people she knew somehow in her room freaking out over her for no reason.

The first voice to speak was Ethan hushed and quiet like he was talking to a hurt animal, "We were making sure you were okay." His accent, normally prominent in his speech, fell through, making him sound like a completely different person.

She looked between all of them, taking in everything she could. James's hands, now on the floor, were red from what she could tell, and he looked to be… crying? So was Ethan. Her eyes fell on Owen, stopping for a moment. Unlike the brothers, her face was cold and harsh, but not in a threatening way. It seemed more worried and tense than anything else- like she wanted to help, but didn't know what to do.

"I… I'm fine," Emmy said, looking away. Her hands shook, grasping at her pants. One of her hands, the one with the sharp pain, immediately let go. She looked down to see a bloodstain on her thigh, and she resumed cradling her hand again.

" _Fine?!"_ James yelled, and Emmy tensed, looking up to meet the enraged boy's gaze. His eyes, one warm, now looked on the verge of tears. "You were bleeding on the floor surrounded by painkillers! I don't think that's very _fine_ ," he yowled, voice breaking at the end.

She watched Ethan take a few steps forward into the gap between her and James. He spoke as he walked, "Emmy, please. I know how hard you get on yourself, and you've been through some bad shit, but I promise you, it's okay," he whispered, and Emmy relaxed more. He was almost to her. "You did nothing wrong."

"You're scaring us, Emmy," James whispered, much calmer. Emmy saw him move forward as well, and Owen behind him also taking a step. The distressed look on her face made Emmy's heart break. His hand landed on her upper arm before she even realized he was next to her. "You're scaring _me_."

Emmy couldn't hold back a sob in the back of her throat. She closed her eyes tight, barely feeling the tears fall from her face to her shirt. Blindly she reached out, grabbing James by the sleeve and wrapping herself around his shoulders. He immediately squeezed back.

"I'm sorry," she muttered between sobs. "Sorry, sorry, sorry.." the headache from earlier had returned.

She felt James's grip tighten around her. "No, no, it's okay. Everything's okay," he comforted, Emmy still crying into his shoulder. She felt someone, most likely Ethan, join the hug as well, followed by who Emmy assumed to be Owen. "Everything's okay now, I promise."

The four spent what felt like years sitting there, only stopping when Emmy couldn't cry anymore and decided that just sitting there wouldn't be a good idea. Wiping her cheeks, she finally opened her eyes. The two brothers looked like they both had been crying, while Owen's face just looked… sad.

A small hand was placed on top of hers, Ethan making his way in front of her. "Are you good?" Emmy nodded. Ethan sighed in relief, head tilting down before looking back up. "Please _please_ don't ever scare us like that again."

"I'm still confused on one thing," Owen quietly said from behind him, Emmy finally turning towards her. "Were you trying to, uh… well, d-die?" she stuttered off at the end, not wanting to say the option.

Emmy's eyes widened. "N-no! No, of course not!" she assured, shaking her hands. The one with the cut still hurt, but it had kind of numbed. She felt bad- there was probably blood on James's shirt now.

"Well, what happened then?" James asked, voice still soft.

Emmy looked around at everything around her. Pills, a knife, a cut on her hand… _Oh shit this looks really bad_. "I just got a really bad headache. I think there was some construction or something, cause there was really loud banging all of a sudden?" James suddenly coughed, but Emmy ontinued. "But I think it got jammed or something last time I opened it, because the lid wouldn't come off. So I got some leverage using the pocket knife, and ended up pushing too far and it hit my hand. I think the blood was the reason I passed out. Or, I think I passed out. I'm not sure."

James chuckled sheepishly, looking away for a moment. He whispered something Emmy didn't hear, then turned back, face still solomon, "I hope you know you're coming back tomorrow."

"I figured," Emmy sighed, crossing her arms over her knees. "I'm just… scared to see all the people I hurt," she whispered, feeling someone wrap an arm around her shoulders playfully.

"I'm sure it's fine!" Ethan reassured, leaning against Emmy more. "Come on! Let's get rid of this cloud over your head and go do something! You need it," he offered, making Emmy turn her head towards him.

He was obviously trying to make her happy, and he was doing a pretty damn good job at it. His face, though still showing signs of worry, was cheerful in nature. His green eyes shone in the very faint light in the room.

Behind him James chuckled, wiping at his face one more time. "I think all of us need that," he said, standing up. He nearly hit his head on the light fixture above him, so he shifted to the side, almost tripping over Owen. He helped her stand, then turned towards Emmy.

"Uh… I don't know if…" she worried, but Ethan stood, pulling her up anyways.

"Aww, come on! We all missed you a lot, so i'm sure everyone else did too," he told her, moving back to let her stand on her own. She kept herself up by placing her uninjured hand on the dresser.

Sighing, she stood off of her arm, taking a step forward. "I mean, I guess.."

"Emmy," Owen spoke up from next to James, and Emmy turned towards the shorter girl. "I heard about everything that happened, and based on that I can tell you this- it's time to _move on_ ," Owen said bluntly, making Emmy tense slightly. James looked ready to say something, but the other girl cut him off, "Saniya wasn't healthy for you. Whatever this was, no matter how traumatic, it was the world's way of letting you be free. If others don't accept what happened as not your fault, well that's too damn bad. But all three of us still care about you," the girl slowly softened as she spoke, placing her hand on Emmy's arm. "So get your ass out the door. _Now_."

Emmy immediately started her way out the door, Owen's hand now placed against her back, pushing her along. James and Ethan followed silently, a bit shocked that Owen's blunt behavior had managed to get Emmy out of whatever funk she was in.

It really had. Emmy'd been so scared about the repercussions the events would have on everyone else that she didn't even think of the option of complete forgiveness. It had just… never occurred to her.

Owen was guiding her… somewhere. She didn't really know where.

And she really didn't give a fuck.

…

The four of them ended up just leaving school grounds. Emmy was still a bit anxious about talking to people, but Owen was insistent on getting her out of her dorm. So James decided they should just avoid the school for now.

They passed by two of the boys Emmy had met, the friends of Shane, but James and Ethan ended up making a human wall to keep them from saying anything. They made their way into town, and ate at a cafe that was open late. They stayed out for hours, Emmy learning about Owen's… _experience_ with the rooftop murals, and Ethan rambling about stupid events that happened in the dorms.

James ended up paying for all their food, which wasn't much. Emmy was still reallif iffy on eating much since she hadn't had much in the past… week? _Was that how long it was?_ She did, however, drink about 5 cups of extra caffeinated coffee. It would have been 4, but Ethan ordered one behind James's back, and the taller refused to allow Ethan any amount of concentrated sugar.

Overall, Emmy felt great. They had to sneak into campus sure, and it was kinda creepy seeing both faint light in one of the school windows _and_ another student sneaking towards the library, but the other 3 made everything enjoyable.

When they got to her dorm, it was only her and Owen. James and Ethan had to run back to their place, and Owen had decided to stay in her room for at least that night. Inside the room, she got in a bit of an argument with her roommate, which ended with her threatening whenever her roommate was to 'fix it before she gets back'.

Emmy didn't want to know what that meant.

Owen just slept on the other bed, but Emmy fell asleep before she could help her find anything. She didn't know what Owen had dont until she woke up.

For one, her room was cleaner. Instead of the insane clutter and mess on every surface, things were put in more appropriate places. It wasn't spotless or anything, Owen was too lazy for that, but it was tidy. It was nice.

Owen had also stolen one of Emmy's shirts and sweatpants, and had taken on of her many extra blankets and pillows from her closet. She was rolled up like a burrito, knees pulled lose to her chest. Emmy couldn't help but smile, remembering her friends finding her the night before. Helping her back on her feet.

In the moments Owen was asleep, Emmy changed out of her way too dirty clothes into the school uniform. Pulling the shirt over her head, she smelled the familiar freshly washed scent came off of it. She wore only the shirt, skirt, and jacket, deciding that even if the weather was finally cooling down, it was still far too hot for that many layers.

Eventually Owen woke up, groggily rolling to face her. Emmy chuckled at the dazed look on the other's face, and watched amused as Owen rolled off the bed onto the floor, one leg and arm on the bed and the other two on the floor.

"You're bed's too fucking _comfortable_ ," she murmured, slowly leaning up as she pulled her two hanging limbs off the bed. "Can I just, _stay_."

Emmy walked forward, holding out her hands for Owen to take. She grabbed them with a grateful huff, then started walking towards the door. "I'll be right back. Need clothes. Be ready," she told her, grabbing her school jacket thrown over the empty desk.

"I already-!" she was cut off by Owen closing the door, and she just rolled her eyes playfully. Looking around, she noticed her phone was plugged in. It must have been Own, because Emmy had purposefully let hers die so she wouldn't have to worry about it.

Turning it on, she was slightly shocked to see few message alerts. She clicked the most recent one.

 **Unknown Number**

 _Hey, is this Emmy's number?_

 _Hello?_

 _Well, if it is, text me back_

Hesitantly, Emmy typed a short reply back.

 _Um, yes, it is. Who is this?_

There wasn't an immediate response, so she moved to the next

 **Harrison Wadetin**

 _Emmy, we heard about what happened. Your mother and I wanted to visit you, but we couldn't find a flight from the nearby airport. I don't know when you'll see this, but we wanted to tell you it's okay._

It was the nicest text she'd ever gotten from her father. He was normally so serious, trying to 'prepare her for the real world' with unempathetic reactions.

 _It's mummy. I hope you got my letter. I'm so sorry we ever forced you into this. We all knew that Saniya had become more unstable after Casper's passing, but we were too scared for both you and our future that we were blind. You should be getting something in the mail in a few months, since we had to ask someone to send something in from out of the country, but we think you'll enjoy it._

 _Your father and I miss you! 3_

Emmy noticed a wet splotch on the screen, and she quickly wiped it off wit her finger. She knew she'd cry, but this time she wasn't sad. Emmy could feel the smile playing at the corner of her mouth as she read, and she let out a single breathy laugh before sending back a response.

 _I'm okay now, don't worry! I got your letter mom, and don't be sorry. I agreed to go. It was a mistake on all of our faults, not just you. Love you both_

Before she could ramble in the text longer she clicked into the third notification. Unsurprisingly, it was Ethan, and the one after it was James. It was similar to the one from her parents, and since she'd just seen them, she didn't send back a response.

She put away the phone after scrolling through all of them, never getting a response back from the unknown number. She had no clue who or why anyone would get her number, and was especially clueless as to where they'd gotten it in the first place.

With a little shake of her head, she reached over her desk to grab her hairbrush, slowly pulling at the now knotted hair that had been left untouched for at least a week.

…

Owen came back a bit later to take her to class. Emmy would have gone anyway, knowing full well that Ethan and James would have flipped out if she didn't, but nonetheless, Owen walked her all the way until she reached the door.

With a breath and a quick pat on the back from Owen, she walked inside.

Mr. Patrick was sat at is desk, browsing through something on his laptop. A fe students milled about, some at their seats while others stood talking. The brothers aren't there, but she did recognise someone.

In the back were two familiar faces, one enthusiastically scrolling through something on his phone while the other looked on. The one looking had his foot, now in a cast, propped up on a chair.

The one scrolling looked up through his glasses, smiling, his eyes landing on her. His face fell, nd he bumped the other with his elbow.

Emmy stepped forward, both of them now looking at her. "Uh, h-hi?"

"YOU'RE BACK!" the one in the cast yelled, sitting up straight with a smile. He instantly recoiled however, most likely because the quick movement caused the pain in his foot.

"Y-yeah. What happened to you, Caddy?" she whispered, looking at his foot. On the white cast was a shit ton of doodles, from signatures to swears aimed at him, with the occasional redrawn meme in the middle of the chaos.

Caddy just weakly chuckled. "Nothing, it's… I'm fine. But you! I thought you weren't coming back!" he yelled again, getting an annoyed glare from the teacher. Caddy didn't pay him any attention however.

Wallid smiled, leaning against the desk on his elbows. "Yeah, he was _so worried_ ," he sneered, Caddy turning around to face him. "He just wouldn't _shut u-"_

"Dude, stop! You're making me sound creepy!" Caddy yelled, shoving Wallid just hard enough to make him tilt in his seat, but not make him fall out. Caddy turned back around, apologetically smiling. "Ignore him."

Emmy slightly smiled, chuckling a little. "Were you actually worried?" she asked, both a bit embarrassed and flattered.

"Well, yeah, everyone was," Wallid said, balancing himself in his chair again. "Ian tried reaching out to you when he got your number from Shane, but I guess you didn't see that."

Emmy shook her head, then froze, realizing what that meant. "Wait, I saw a text this morning from an unknown number," she told him, pulling out her phone. There was a new notification she hadn't seen.

 **Unknown Number**

 _Ian_

 _Are you coming back?_

She turned the phone around, letting both Wallid and Caddy see. "Wow, he's so fucking blunt," Caddy grumbled, turning back towards his desk

"Emmy!" before she could say anything more, a voice yelled her name from the front of the room. Unsurprisingly, it was Etha, tailed by a much slower, much more tired looking James. "Welcome back!"

Emmy chuckled, looking down at the overly enthusiastic teen. His bright blonde hair was sticking up all over the place, much to the visible dismay to James. As soon as the taller walked behind him, he instantly started brushing it down with his hands.

"You just saw me yesterday," Emmy said, shifting her weight between feet. Ethan just sighed dramatically, dodging out of the way of James's incessant brushing. "I _know,_ but still! You're actually back!"

From the front of the rom a voice spoke up. "Emmy? You're back?" It was Mr. Patrick, finally looking up from his computer. Emmy looked around JAmes and smiled at her teacher.

"Yes sir, I'm here," she told him, walking around James, who was now trying and failing to get Ethan to stand still long enough for him to fix his jacket collar. She quickly made her way to his desk, where he acknowledged her with a knowing nod. "I'm guessing you know what happened?"

He nodded again. "Your absence is… very _understandable_ ," he said, emphasizing the last word. "So, instead of making you catch up, I have made you back-up nots for you to just study," he explained, openning a desk drawer and digging through. Each was labelled with a sticker, a different shape and color on each. There seemed to be four options, and he grabbed one with a green label. She wanted to ask him about the lone one with a pink label that had a dress on it, but she decided otherwise.

She gratefully took the folder with a faint bow, then turned back to see James waving hr over from where he was now sitting. As she walked, ha patted the empty desk next to him, and Emmy placed her stuff down.

"I thought someone sat here?" she asked, but James shook his head.

"Ethan sits there sometimes," James said, watching as Emmy took a seat next to him. Her hair was in the all too familiar bun, slightly messy in the front with a tight pulled back. It pulled back on her eyes, making her look far more awake than she actually was. "Tries to throw off Mr. Patrick. It pretty much never works, but it worked once he refuses to stop trying. You sitting here will probably be a good way to make him give up, though."

Emmy's face relaxed, turning up to the board. Her eyes passed over her old seat for a second, a million emotions passing through her face at once. Then she started smiling, _really_ smiling. Like the ones James saw in old pictures or when she over enthusiastically would rant about something she was obsessed with at the time.

James tried to ask her why, but the bell rang outside the classroom, snapping both of their attentions back to the board.

"Good morning, class!" Mr. Patrick hollered, making Emmy cringe back into her seat a few inches. "As I'm sure some of you are aware, one of the students who tragically left for a short period of time has returned! Emmy?" he signaled for Emmy to stand, and James saw her faint forced smile from where he sat.

"Uhh, um… hi? I'm glad to be back…" her voice was quiet, barely reaching everyone in the room. Her hands were woven together, her back straight as a nail.

Mr. Patrick just nodded, letting Emmy sit down. "We're all glad you're back too. Isn't that right, class?"

There were some quiet agreements scattered around the room, but the most notable came from James's right, where both Ethan and Caddy started basically screaming. Ethan ended up talking in French, putting a painstakingly loud 'Je m'en fous!' in the middle.

Ethan just played it off, looking across James's desk to look at Emmy. At least, he did until a very loud "Qu'est-ce que tu as dit, monsieur Ethan?" came from the teacher's desk.

Ethan looked back sheepishly, slightly shaking. "I, uh, NOTHING!" he yelled, obviously scared of being sent to the office. " _Désolé, monsieur_."

Mr. Patrick stared at him for a moment before sighing and turning back around. He straightened up, just as energetic as he'd been before. James turned back to him brother and hit him on the back of the head.

He spent the rest of class as normal, always aware of Emmy's now comforting and happy presence just to his left.

* * *

 **That French swearing though**

 **Ethan and James are about to get a lot more character development, I swear. Mostly Ethan, but yeah. Also, I'm aiming to end Emmy's suffering next chapter, then have the rest unfold in the background.**

 **Also, did you notice my POV change there at the very end. It was an accident I swear**

 **I'll be back soon, I promise 3**

 **Luv you!**


	15. Chapter Fifteen - Spilled Milk

**Kinda heavy language in the latter half of this chapter because Shane**

 **This was oddly hard to write at the beginning, but the ending was a lot easier**

 **Also, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Ethan had never bolted out of a room so fast. When the bell rang the day Emmy came back, he instantly stood, not paying attention to the annoyed cries of students behind him. He also didn't notice that he'd left his books behind until James walked up to him outside the lunchroom and handed them over.

"Sorry," he muttered, shifting the heavy textbooks in his arms. He'd have to drop them off at his locker later instead of his normal time before lunch.

Looking past his brother, he saw Emmy walk out of the main building. Next to her were the two kids who sat somewhere to his right, Caddy and Wallid. Her free hand that wasn't carrying anything was ghosting next to Caddy, who, because of his cast, as walking a bit wonky. Wallid had a large amounts of books in his hands, but it didn't seem to be affecting him.

Ethan smiled, looking back to James and tilting his head in the group's direction. James turned to look, smiling and calling out behind him, "Come on, guys!"

Caddy jokingly scoffed, lightly kicking out his foot. "I'm trying, okay?" he said, Emmy placing her hand lightly on his arm in a 'Put your foot down' kind of way.

Ethan turned happily to push into the cafeteria, the cheerful babbling of students quickly fading to background noise. Ignoring James who was telling him to wait, he ran to buy his food early. He bought an Italian soup and bread, recognising it as something he'd gotten while on tour. Looking up at the racks of drinks, he saw the milk placed on the second highest one. He looked around for James, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Sighing, Ethan looked up again at the milk. Normally, since it was too high for him to reach, James would grab it for him. This time, however, he began jumping up and down in a failed attempt at reaching. Because of his short stature, he could barely reach the second shelf, much less the fourth.

Feeling defeated, Ethan looked around for someone who could reach it. The only person he recognised was Mr. Patrick, so he decided it was better to just not ask.

Ethan's shoulders sagged, and he turned around to try again. After what felt like his 20th attempt, he heard a voice behind him.

"Need help with that?" the voice came from above him, and when Ethan turned around, he had to crane his neck to see the person next to him. He instantly recognized who it was. "Sup?"

"Luke, right?" Ethan checked, and the boy gave a nod. The snapback on his head kind of gave him away. "Well, uh… kind of?" Ethan turned back around, jumping again to show his problem. Pointing up at the second shelf, he told him, "I'm trying to reach that, but-" he gestured to himself.

Luke chuckled, his shoulders hunching a bit. His laugh was quite a bit lower than his speaking voice, Ethan noted. "Here," he said, reaching over Ethan to grab the drink, handing it down to him.

" _Merci!"_ Ethan thanked him, balancing the drink on the plate he had set down nearby. Turning around, he saw that Luke was still waiting, holding one of the other dishes that Ethan didn't recognize. With a smile, Ethan went to pay for his food, Luke standing next to him and paying after he did.

The two walked together, Luke eventually picking up his pace when he realized where he was going. Ethan followed behind, looking around him to look at the table they were approaching.

Unsurprisingly, more kids in the jacket he had on were sat down, just like Ethan had realized happened daily. Mingled within, however, were James and Emmy. James was enthusiastically talking to the smallest boy, who was still probably around the six foot mark. Next to him, Emmy was very clearly avoiding the food in front of her to talk to Wallid and one other boy who Ethan _kind of_ recognised. He remembered him from the soccer game he'd been to earlier in the year.

"Hey, you're back!" Luke yelled, sitting directly across from Emmy at the looked away from her conversation to give him a faint smile. Luke began twirling his spoon between his fingers before pointing it straight at her. "Glad to see ya."

Emmy chuckled, turning back to her conversation. Ethan sat next to James, leaving a single open seat next to him. "Where were you?" he asked his brother, looking up to see James's confused expression. Ethan led to the milk placed in front of him, and James rolled his eyes.

James leaned on the table, stabbing at his salad with a fork. "I was helping Emmy-"

" _Forcing_ Emmy to sit down," James was cut of by Emmy, who was leaning out from behind James to look at Ethan. "He also switched _my_ salad that I brought with this-" she held out one of James's ham and cheese sandwiches he ate every day.

They were a purposefully heavy meal, since James was a naturally slow eater. He tended to make very small, filling dishes that he'd be able to finish quickly. Emmy, on the other hand, liked things like salads that were naturally light since she didn't have a very big appetite.

James was most likely forcing her to eat more since she hadn't had a meal in about a week, and Emmy probably understood that. That didn't mean she was actually eating the sandwich, however. "Speaking of, you better eat that," James turned to tell her, shoving a forkful of salad in his mouth.

Emmy sighed, looking solemnly at the sandwich in front of her. "But it has _mustard_ -"

"Suck it up," a demanding remark came from across the table where Wallid was leaned over his food. His phone was placed precariously on top of the salt and pepper shakers as he scrolled through what looked to be pictures.

Emmy looked at him defeated. "Not you too," she whined, leaning on her arms.

"Emmy, eat the damn sandwich," Caddy ordered, followed by a nod from basically everyone at the table.

Then the tall kid Emmy'd been talking to threw a bag of chips in front of her. And Caddy passed her some chips. This pattern of giving away food continued until Emmy had enough food to feed a family in front of her. Her face was completely distraught as she looked around, everyone else looking at her completely seriously.

She felt someone behind her, and she turned to see another jacket like the ones the other five boys were wearing. "Welcome back," Ian smiled faintly, looking around, his eyes landing on Ethan and James for a moment. He looked ready to ask about them until he saw the pile of food in front of her. "Uhh…"

"Don't ask," she whispered, holding her arms out to block the towering lunch she now had. Ian rolled his eyes, moving to take the only open seat next to Ethan. After sitting, Ethan turned towards him, looking over his face. Emmy could see him staring from where she sat, Ian eventually doing the same thing back.

"Do I…?" Ian began asking, still keeping his gaze locked with Ethan's.

Emmy just looked away from… whatever that was, and looked up to James. He had that mom-ish look on his face that Emmy took as 'you better eat the damn sandwich', to which she responded by taking a small bite.

James, satisfied with her eating, looked back to see that Ian and Ethan had stopped the weird staring. "Name's Ethan," his brother smiled, taking a spoonful of soup.

"Ian," the boy responded, turning his head up to look at James. James had been told a bit about Ian by Owe, since she was in his class, and he was easily recognisable. "Well aren't you a giant," he deadpanned, gesturing towards him.

James chuckled, hunching down even more into his poor posture. "I'm his brother, James."

Ian smirked, raising an eyebrow. Turning away from him for a moment, the boy looked across the table towards Caddy. The brit scoffed back at him, unaware of the conversation.

"What?" he called, shoulders bunching around his neck.

Ian looked back at James, leaning onto the table. "So, your name's James, huh?" his gaze kept flashing between him and Caddy. James just nodded slowly. Turning his full attention towards Caddy, Ian continued, "So which one do I call James?"

Caddy was still scowling, rolling his eyes, "Why don't you call me _Caddy_ like I ask?" he hissed, making Ian's face fall back into a frown.

"How about you stop calling me _Moosey_ then?"

"You're the one who started the whole name thing!"

"Did not!"

By this point they were yelling from opposing sides of the table, and while James and Emmy seemed a bit bothered by it, everyone else seemed to not even notice.

Ethan was looking up at him with that shit-eating look on his face that he got whenever he was about to say something stupid. His brother turned back to Ian, who was now silently hunched in his little corner of the table.

"You could always call my brother MJ,' he stated, making James jump to cover his mouth.

"Dude, NO!" he yelled, wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling him back. His brother chocked a bit, but his chest still shook with laughter under his forearm.

Ian looked interested, his gaze flicking between the two brothers. "What, does he go by his middle name or…?"

James sighed, his grip on the French boy tightening. "It's nothing I-"

"It stands for Momma James," Emmy's voice appeared from over his shoulder, and he felt her weight as she leaned on his back.

"Emmy!" he yelled over the laughing from around the table. Letting go of his brother, of whom was now in hysterics, he spun around to look down at her. She was bent over, smile all over her face and the corners of her eyes crinkled up.

Rolling his eyes, he dramatically sighed, putting his face in one hand. "I quite like that, actually," a voice came up from the corner of the table near Caddy, and James looked up to lock eyes with Wallid. "MJ, I mean. Not Momma James. Unless you _want_ me to call you Mom."

Ethan was still laughing his ass off next to James, and he shouldered him a little bit to signal for him to shut up. "I'd uh… no."

"That's good with me," Ian shrugged, pointing at Caddy with his elbow on the table. " _You_ still get to be James-" Caddy scoffed, sinking into his seat. "-while _you-"_ his finger pointed past Ethan. "-get to be MJ."

James looked over to Caddy with a 'I'm kinda sorry but it's not my fault' look, then leaned back in his seat. The table resumed it's normal chatter- and by _normal_ it was more like twice as loud as everyone else in the room. James was talking to Wallid about something they'd learned in class when he noticed Emmy out of the corner of his eye.

Somehow, without him noticing, she'd eaten _everything._

"My everything hurts," she mumbled, placing her head on the table. One hand was on her stomach, and when she turned to look at James, she made a gagging motion with her finger. "I'm gonna puke."

As James was digging through his bag for stomach ache reliever and Ethan was laughing at Emmy's suffering, Caddy called out to someone.

"Ey! Get over here!" he yelled, waving the person down. James turned his head a bit to get a glimpse of who it was.

Shane.

James could _feel_ Emmy tense next to him. They weren't even touching. Shane also froze, his gaze pointed to the seat just next to James.

"Uh uh!" he said, waving his hands in front of himself. "Nope," he turned on his heel, stalking back across the lunchroom.

"Dude, really?!" Ian yelled, standing up. Shane froze, not turning around to face the boy. "You're gonna be _that much_ of a dick? Like, dude, I know you're an ass and all, but _really?_ "

Shane whirled around, James noticing a sharpness to his gaze. His fingers were curling into his thighs. "You don't understand! Being around her is _dangerous!"_ he spit, taking a step towards Ian. "It's only a matter of time before something like that happens again! And what if next time it's _not_ someone so blatantly marked as an antagonist, huh? What if it's one of _us?!"_

"Dude, calm down. You aren't making any sen-"

"I'm making plenty of fucking sense!" he yelled, face falling cold from the harsh position it'd been in. "Leave me alone."

Ian took a step closer again, "Dude come on-"

"Leave. Me. The. _Fuck_. Alone."

With that, Shane left the lunchroom.

James saw Emmy shaking in the corner of his vision, and when he looked back, he saw that she looked worse than before. "Emmy, a-"

"I-I don't fe-el…" she hiccuped, covering her mouth with one hand. "S-sorry," her voice was barely audible as she stood, stumbling quickly towards the opposite door to the one Shane left from.

The whole table watched in stunned silence as everything fell apart. Their lighthearted lunch to welcome back had just...

"I'll show that motherfucker what's up," Ethan muttered, standing up to follow Shane out the way he came. He was stopped, however, by his brother tugging him back into his seat by the collar. "Hey, come o-"

He was cut off by himself, noticing the look James had on his face. His eyes were shadowed, expression completely bare. Suddenly, he broke out into the fakest smile Ethan had seen. "Don't worry, doll, I got it covered," his brother said in that sugar-sweet motherly tone he got when A. Talking to young children or B.

When he was _pissed._

Ethan let him leave, noticing quickly that he was headin out the door Emmy'd taken, his bag in tow. Jimmy and Ian had both tried to follow Shane, but Ethan told them James could handle it.

Ethan knew exactly was was about to happen.

Shane was _fucked_.

* * *

 **The next chapter's gonna be fun, oh boy. We're gonna find out the** _ **real**_ **reason he's called momma James**

 **He's got motherly** _ **rage**_

 **Emmy can't eat lots of food normally, but since she was food deprived for a straight week her body was like, "Yo, gimme** _ **all**_ **that." James, on the other hand, could have eaten all of that, even if it took him a while.**

 **Anyways, I hope y'all had a good holidays! Sorry I was gone so long, but just… lots of things didn't update today because I finally got Pokemon Moon for Christmas so I've been playing it all day and just now realized I hadn't finished the chapter**

 **I'll see you guys next time!**

 **Luv ya 3**


	16. Chapter Sixteen - Sleepless

**Dude it's 1:23 in the morning when I'm writing this. I really wanted to write, but I swear I'm going back to school this Wednesday and I don't wanna**

 **I felt super inspired for this chapter, so after about 30 minutes of Tumblr scrolling at 11:30, I sat down and finished it.**

 **So yeah! This was written by late night me, so don't kill me for it. This is one of my favorite chapters I've written.**

 **Also, yes, if you are a Hamilfan, James is Angelica and yes the beginning of this chapter was inspired by 'Congratulations'**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

James couldn't feel the eyes of everyone in the lunchroom on him. He honestly didn't care. His feet practically floated over the ground as he moved, quickly making his way to the door Emmy left.

He heard Ethan yell at someone that 'he could handle it'. James doubted Ethan would see it, but he raised a hand in thanks as he pushed out the door.

Looking left, he immediately saw her leaned over a trash bin. He walked over carefully, placing a hand on her back and rubbing her spine with his palm. Emmy either had heard him approach or honestly didn't care that someone was there, because she didn't flinch at all.

After a few seconds, she shook a little bit, moving to lean back up. James reached into his bag, handing her a stack of napkins. She placed them over her mouth and looked at him gratefully.

"Don't mention it," he whispered, moving his hand from her back to wrap around her shoulder. "Now, why don't you head back in there? Just tell Ethan that I'm… handling it," he walked her slowly back to the door, giving her time to settle her stomach. James knew that she most likely threw up from a mix of overeating and nerves.

She moved the napkin away from her mouth, and James placed a mint in her empty hand. Chuckling, she reached for the door handle, her voice barely audible, "Thanks, James." She paused for a moment before looking at him, "Don't kill him, please."

James smiled, moving his hand away from her shoulder and patting it gently. "He'll only get what he deserves," he promised, making Emmy sigh as he turned away laughing.

He heard the door close behind him, and he let his face fall. He straightened his back, something he didn't normally do since leaning down a bit shaved a few inches off his almost 7 ft height. Because of this, most people didn't point out his height since when slouched over, since he looked about the same height as the taller students.

Rounding the corner, he saw Shane sitting down on a bench near Bluebell. He was leaned over, head in his hands with his elbows propped on his knees. He looked to be calming down, but still didn't seem like he'd be going back in the lunchroom anytime soon.

James approached quietly until he stood behind the boy. He could tell he wasn't crying, just taking heavy breaths that made his shoulders fall up and down.

"Hey," James spat, making the boy jolt. Shane stumbled off the bench, whirling around quickly to face him.

His hands were a bit shaky, and his eyes refused to stay in one place for more than a second. "W-what…" he stuttered before clearing his throat, straightening out a bit. It was then that James could tell Shane noticed the extreme height difference, the shorter visibly gulping. "What do you want?"

James just scowled. "Just wanted to congratulate you on a _job well done_ ," he hissed, stepping around the bench. "You really are as dense as they said you are, aren't you? Do you not understand that _your_ actions affect the people around you? Or are you that much of a self centered prick indulged completely in- what, art?- to notice the disaster you're leaving in your wake?"

Shane was silent, slowly trying to make a break for it. "Not so fast," James yelled, shoving his shoulder in the opposite direction to the one he was heading. "You think running is the way to solve this? All that will cause is more pain. But I bet you don't know that, since the only way you've ever dealt with issues is by leaving them behind. But guess what?" James leaned down, getting eye to eye with the other boy. "That shit won't work with me."

Shane was incredibly shaky, obviously trying to say something. "I-I'm just trying to-"

"To what? Ruin a poor girl's fucking li-"

"I'm trying to help her, okay?!" Shane yelled, James straightening his back again.

"Help?" James scoffed. "This poor girl's been alone for years. Her brother was her only friend spare one who _moved away after a month_. Then, after he died, the only other girl willing to be her friend went fucking _insane_ off depression medication. When Emmy went on tour she didn't trust _anyone,_ so I was shocked to see that she'd come to trust someone here enough to tell them what happened. We only know about it because of a night where she wanted to _die_ and we had to talk her out of it. Then, the one kid she thought she could _trust_ because he actually fucking _talked to her_ decides to turn on her on a few loose threats instead of- oh, I don't know- telling the police?"

"And then, after she literally has to shoot the only person who'd lived with her through her brother's death that wasn't her family, you decide to make it all her fault. I don't know if you know this, but she's been locked in her dorm room for her week, refusing to eat and barely surviving off of old water bottles stored in her closet and midnight bathroom runs so she wouldn't have to talk to anyone out of fear she'd hurt someone after doing what she did. We had to break into her room to drag her out here, and _just_ as she's finally warming up to being out here, you tell her the exact thing she'd been scared of this whole time. So, _Gill,_ do you _really_ think you're helping now?"

James was out of breath, but he could still feel his heart in his chest, beating hard enough to make the fabric pulse. He hadn't even been paying attention to Shane the whole time, he'd blacked out halfway through his rant.

He didn't expect to see him crying.

James hadn't made someone cry in his whole life, or at least not at any point he could remember. He could be harsh, sure, but he never got to a point where there'd be tears.

Shane didn't even look like he knew he was crying. His face and body were completely still, staring at James in shock. Tears fell from his face to the path below quickly, turning the light stone a dark gray.

"I-I'm sorry, I…" James whispered, wanting desperately to do something to help him, but knowing that doing so would just make him angry.

Shane finally shook his head gently, wiping his face on his sleeve. Without a word he stalked back towards Poppy Hall, James watching as he pushed into the building's door slowly, as if it took all his effort just to keep moving.

James just stood and watched him go.

Returning to the lunchroom was a fiasco. They all asked what happened, but James refused to say anything. Just kept repeating, "Don't bring it up to him" over and over until people just eventually moved on.

Emmy seemed very tense, James guessing that it had less to do with Shane's outburst and more to do with James sudden silence.

He still couldn't believe he'd done that.

 _Him._ James, weak high school kid whose height made him stick out like a sore thumb. James who'd never been in a fight in his whole life. James who tried to help raise his brother, who lived with a family that wasn't his own with memories of his old parents still in his mind.

James, the one everyone expected to be kind, had made someone cry.

Not just anyone, either. A kid he _knew_ had a bad past, though what it was he didn't know. He knew that whatever had happened made him flee from England, leave behind his family, so it had to be bad.

He didn't want this. He didn't want anyone to feel this much pain.

James couldn't say anything the rest of the day.

Shane felt like shit. James had basically done the verbal equivalent to being stabbed, and it hit him hard. Afterwards Shane had walked back to the classroom, unable to see anyone eye to eye the whole time. He was only there so he wasn't marked absent, that was all.

He was surprised no one said anything, but he kind of deserved the silence. For once in his life, Shane felt 100% in the wrong. It was weird, having no one to blame but himself.

He never thought he'd be the one to cause someone pain. He always thought he'd just be the buffer for it.

Jirard was a good roommate. He didn't bring it up, but showed that he wasn't mad by bringing him some food after class and leaving it on his desk. Shane didn't try and explain, just sat silently, working on anything to keep him busy.

He went to bed early and got up late, as made clear by the fact that Jirard wasn't there when he woke up.

Shane quickly gathered his things, making quick time to the main building. While walking up the stairs, he noticed that the way up to the third floor was blocked. Meaning he had to pass through this floor to get to the other stairwell.

He didn't like where this was heading.

Walking through the hall, he kept his head low in hopes people wouldn't spot him, but it wasn't really effective seeing that he was wearing a Normal Boots jacket and no one in the club should even be on this floor in the first place.

Shane wasn't surprised to see James, he'd already assumed he'd run into at least one of them.

James looked like he'd shot someone with the dead stare he was giving the opposite wall. He wasn't even trying to hide his height by slouching anymore, he was just leaned perfectly upright against the wall next to what Shane assumed to be his classroom.

The two noticed each other at almost the same time, and while Shane tried walking along without conversation, James called out, "Wait."

His voice was extremely hoarse, eyes sad and distant. Shane looked at him blankly, hoping he looked somewhat indifferent and not showing how incredibly scared he was at the moment.

"I didn't mean it, I swear," James whispered, looking to the floor. "I just want her to be happy is all. I've never made someone upset," James's shoulders shook, and Shane finally recognised the look on his face.

Sleepless.

"You've been up all night, haven't you?" Shane asked, and the boy responded with a faint, sad chuckle.

"It's that noticeable, huh?" he muttered, sighing like he had a great weight on his back. "I'm just… I'm sorry. I just wanna ask if you can _try_ and make peace? With her, that is." Shane just looked away down the hall, noticing a few people watching while the rest just continued on their way.

Shane knew that if he were any other club member, every single person would be staring. It was something he'd come to be fine with; the other members outshined him in social skills and just being generally popular. He spent the time he wasn't with them alone, preferring to work on the few things he was good at rather than try and work on social skills.

So it was odd, making friends with Emmy. Instead of one or both of them approaching each other, they just kinda… met. At first he thought they only got along because they were both hurt by main character-esque people, but he realized, while working with Ian and Caddy, that they were actually fairly similar.

Unsocial people who easily made friends with a large group in a short amount of time. Both of them were bad about hiding what they were feeling from others, at least based on what Shane had heard from her friends.

She wasn't a _bad_ person. Shane didn't know why he was so… frustrated? Mad? He didn't even know what he was.

"Hey, Emmy isn't here yet, and she'll be here soon," James said, shrugging and looking back down the hall. "If you can, _please_ just try and make peace?" With that, James left Shane alone again in the hall, staring at the place the boy once stood.

Shane shook his head, hesitating for a moment before heading down the hall.

He couldn't face her.

Not yet.

James sat at his desk, avoiding the worried questions from Caddy and Wallid. Ethan knew he'd been up all night, and when he walked into class carrying a cup of coffee, James took it gratefully.

It wasn't the first time he'd been unable to sleep. In fact, for probably the first week after he was brought into Ethan's family he only slept about 4 hours max at night, sometime not getting any sleep at all.

Ethan was a polar opposite, choosing to sleep overtime when he was anxious or stressed, normally causing even _more_ panic when he was constantly late to whatever had made him worry in the first place. The two were very polar opposite on a lot of things,most of them being safety and academic related.

Before James ever met Ethan, the smaller had dropped out of school. His parents raised him incredibly well, enough so that Ethan already knew the kindergarten through first grade curriculum before even starting school. This made them take their son out of school and shift to homeschooling instead. His dad worked at home, so he was the one who normally taught him. As a former professor at one of the most prestigious academies in France, he was _more_ than qualified.

This led to Ethan knowing the full middle school curriculum before he turned 9, and was smarter than most high school students at age 13. After that, his parents let him self-study, and since Ethan had way too much free time, he ended up learning multiple college courses and about 6 languages before moving to Japan.

James, on the other hand, was an incredibly average student before meeting Ethan. After moving in with the boy, however, he learned much faster and comprehended very well compared to before. He wasn't quite Ethan, who was smart because of the way he wa raised, but he was still relatively smart.

That's the main reason they went to Asagao Ethan found the college of his dreams on the small island, and an international exam later, managed to get both a near-full college scholarship and a spot at a prestigious high school in the area, both of which came with free dorms to stay in.

James just kinda tacked along. He didn't want to be left alone, and his parents agreed to send him with Ethan as long as he 'kept him safe,' also known as what he normally did anyways. He also needed to stick with him on tour, so it was kind of necessary.

Ethan was very commonly undermined because of his lack of common sense, but no one could ever deny that he was incredibly gifted when it came to his education.

Casually drinking coffee while he blocked out the sound of the classroom was oddly calming. James was constantly surrounded by chaos, or at least that's what it felt like. Taking some time to just block it out felt nice, and he pondered why he didn't do it more often.

He didn't realize Emmy had walked in until he saw her reach across his desk to steal one of Ethan's pencils.

"G'mornin," he mumbled, still a bit drowsy despite the slight amount of energy he got from the drink.

Emmy smiled, her eyebrows slightly crinkled in worry. "Didn't get much sleep last night, eh?" she pointed out, twirling the stolen blue pencil between her index and middle finger. When James sighed, she chuckled faintly, whispering, "Me neither."

"You sure don't look very tired," James stated, grabbing the top of the cup in front of him and twirling it around, making the small amount left inside swirl around. He looked over to see Emmy digging through her pocket, chuckling when she brought out a bottle of concealer. "Ah, I see."

"You want some," she joked, holding it up to his face. The color, an incredibly light color to match the fact that Emmy couldn't tan, _ever_ , contrasted sharply against his very dark brown. "Perfect match," Emmy laughed, sticking it back in her pocket. She took the pencil back up, continuing to spin it aimlessly.

James smiled, rolling his eyes. "So, have you and Shane talked thing out yet?" he asked, watching as she placed the pencil back down.

Her gaze refused to move from the writing tool. "No. Not yet. I haven't seen him."

James sighed, placing his forehead on the table. Turning his head to the right, he saw Caddy and Wallid talking to Ethan, somehow managing to get him to teach them basic French words. "Caddy," James called the boy, and he lifted his head to look at him.

"Mm?" Caddy hummed, turning a bit in his chair to look at him.

James thought about how to ask about what he needed, just now realizing how odd it would probably sound. "You know a bunch of Shane's friends, right?"

Caddy scoffed quietly at the sound of the other british students name, his foot not connected to the injured leg tapping on the floor annoyed. "Yeah, why?"

"Uhm, well…" James sorted through his words. "Which ones do you think could carry a person?"

Shane felt incredibly ignored. His friends all didn't say a word to him throughout all of class, and at lunch they all sat at a conjoined table with Hidden Block, purposefully leaving one seat empty just so Caddy could prop his foot up and say that it 'was taken'.

The only two people who thought he deserved to sit there were Jirard and, surprisingly, Emmy, though he had a feeling he wasn't supposed to hear her quiet protest as he walked away to sit outside.

He ate quickly, taking the rest of lunch to continue drawing his portrait due in a few days for art. The prompt was 'Lazy Days,' and Shane decided to choose a picture he'd managed to take at one of the club's game days where all the members were sat around some board game. It was one of two, but Shane decided the calm, relaxed game would probably be better than the chaotic match of Monopoly in which PBG and Paul manage to knock over the couch, about 10 different chip bags were strewn among various snacks, and- oh yeah- Jon was in _mid swing about to sock Josh in the face._

Walking back inside after he heard the warning bell, Shane noticed a very suspicious conversation going on between PBG, Jeff, and James, since as soon as PBG noticed him, all conversation ceased and the three separated immediately.

Paying attention in class was utterly impossible, so Shane just took to doodling random things that would happen in class. His favorite was probably a drawing of a random girl sneezing, then proceeding to fall out of her chair and accidentally take down the girl next to her when she attempted to grab her and stop her fall.

Shane didn't recognise her until she stood up, where he noticed that black curly hair and muscular, short stature. He grimaced remembering the incredibly weird rooftop chase just so she'd stop poisoning his flowers.

Owen ended up getting socked in the back of the head by the girl she took down, and Shane learned the other girl's name, Nialle, when the two were sent out of the room for a moment. They both returned a bit later, shoving each other just enough for it to be noticeable, but not enough to make any noise.

That was about the only thing exciting about the whole class, however, and Shane just let it pass by in a blur. Based on the unit he knew they were on, he already understood pretty much everything she could have taught anyway.

Shane quickly made his way to his locker after class, not even having to avoid anyone since they were already doing it to him anyways. He stood at his locker for a while, waiting for the crowds to clear out a bit.

He was shoving books into his already cramped locker when he heard someone behind him. He tried to turn around, but before he could, the person reached down and picked him up by the middle. "W-WHAT!" he yelled, desperately trying to wriggle out of the other's grasp. "LET ME GO!"

"Not so fast," someone else walked into view, the tall boy shutting his locker. Jeff smirked, reaching out and grabbing at Shane's ankles that were swinging violently. "Got him, Peebs."

"PBG, I SWEAR PUT. ME. DOWN."

PBG responded by dropping him a bit, then catching him by the wrists so he was dangling between the two limply.

"AH!" SHane yelled, trying and failing to wiggle out of the boy's grasp. "WHAT THE FU-"

"Chillax," Jeff cut him off, slowly beginning to walk down the hall. "You'll be fine."

Shane tried arguing out of it, but was always cut off with the same response, and he eventually just kinda gave up. The worst part about the whole thing wasn't the fact he was being carried by two of his friends down an empty hallway, but instead that Jeff kept swinging him lightly and it was slowly making him nauseous.

Eventually they made it up a flight of stairs and onto the fourth floor, Shane praying they'd make it safely with every step. As they rounded the corner, he heard yelling from down the hall.

"JAMES PUT ME THE FUCK DOWN," the girl yelled, followed by a high pitched scream, a thump, and the sound of a door closing.

"No, guys, please, no, no nonon-AHH!" Shane was thrown by the two boys through a doorway, his feet knocking into the doorframe and making him spin in the air so he landed with his feet facing the exit.

He heard the other person in the room scrambling to reach the door, but just as Shane's vision leveled out, he saw three tall figure blocking the gap.

Jeff looked between the two before grabbing the door from behind him. They all stepped back a step before yelling, "Get along!" and slamming the door with a stomach-sinking click.

Mmy stepped into his vision and began violently shaking the doorknob, to no avail. She groaned while sinking to the floor, repeatedly hitting her head against it.

The room was silent for awhile, the only sound being their faint breathing and the occasional shuffle as they shifted. Emmy ended up sitting in one of the desks, placing her head against it defeated. Shane sat on the windowsill, but not until he'd checked to see if any of them were unlocked.

Not that thy would have been able to leave, seeing as they were locked in an unused classroom on the fourth floor.

"Hey, Shane?" he jumped at the sound of his name, barely glancing across the room to look at her. Emmy's head was off the table now, her whole body propped on her arms in a way that made her shoulderblades poke through her shirt sharply. Her school-issued blue blazer was draped over the back of her chair. "I'm… I'm really sorry."

Shane turned from his seat on the window ledge so his legs were dangling off the side, his back leaned against the glass. "What?"

Emmy sighed, leaning back in the chair. "I said I'm so-"

"No, no I heard you. But… why?" Shane asked, confused. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Emmy seemed a bit speechless for a moment, staring blankly at the seam between the wall and the floor. "Didn't I?" she finally whispered, gaze flickering to meet his for a fraction of a second. "It was my fault that you got dragged into it. I knew she wasn't very stable, especially when I hung around other people. I should've just…" her voice hitched with a sob, her head falling back against the table. "I don't know. I'm in this limbo where I'm between being glad she's gone, and wishing she was still alive."

Shane stood up, crossing a few steps into the room before sitting at a chair two seats away from hers. "James told me about your history," Emmy sighed, lifting her head one last time to look at him. He noticed the clouded look in her eyes now that he was a bit closer, and had to hold in a laugh when he saw a streak of light pink lipstick that dragged across from her mouth onto her cheek.

"Goddamnit James," she cursed, rolling her eyes half-jokingly. "He means well, I swear," she chuckled faintly, running her hands over her face. "He just… when he gets worked up, he doesn't exactly know how to handle things calmly."

"As I learned," Shane remarked, remembering how off-the-chains the boy had been when confronting him the day before. The room fell silent again, but this time the tension had numbed down. Shane could feel cool air from a fan blowing in the back of the room, and noticed how Emmy's hair that had fallen from her hair tie blew faintly around her face and around her neck.

The hair not in a bun was very long, Shane noticed. It was spun into large, slightly tangled curls, and her bangs that pushed off to the side would sometimes fall over her eyes, making her move to push them back up.

"Can we agree that this is incredibly stupid and bizarre?" he muttered, trying not to ruin the comfortable air in the room. Emmy turned her head towards him, a look on her face that was a mix of confused and relaxed.

The sides of her mouth cracked into a smile, "If I could use two words to describe it, those would be pretty high up there."

Shane let his head rest in his palm, his other hand lightly tapping against the table. "Can you f..fo-" he stuttered over his words slightly, coughing to regain his composure. His voice came back small, "Can you forgive me?"

"Now's my turn to ask- What?" Emmy poked fun, making Shane sigh exasperated. She laughed, and he just glared at her over the desks between them.

"I mean about yesterday," he muttered, looking down at his desk. Shane wasn't one to apologize, but he decided that if he was gonna be locked in this room for god knows how long, he might as well get rid of as much bad blood between them as he could. He'd rather leave this room feeling better than when he'd come in.

He'd been through enough shit recently. He needed something to go right.

"Of course I do," Emmy smiled. "I mean, I wasn't exactly expecting some warm welcome back. I wasn't planning on coming back at all, so you're reaction is about what I expected.

"But… didn't you get sick?" he questioned, still a bit confused.

Emmy's face grew a bit more uncomfortable. "I uh… that wasn't you. I kinda ate about 5 meals worth of food before you walked up, and I hadn't had food in like, a week. My stomach wasn't settled is all."

"Wow, good job on that one," Shane mocked, making the girl roll her eyes and stick her tongue out playfully.

"Shut up," she joked, suddenly standing up. She stepped over the next desk and sat in the one next to hi, holding out her hand. "Why don't we try this again? My name's Emmy Wadetin, I'm a musician, and I'm totally, 100%, _not_ traumatized at all."

Shane looked at her in a 'are you serious' kind of way. Sighing, he reached out and shook her head. "Name's Shane Gill. I'm a third year, artist, and totally _don't_ have trust issues."

Emmy laughed, moving her hand away to n it through her bangs. "Legit same, dude."

"Now," Shane reached into his jacket pocket to pull out his phone. "-Since I doubt calling anyone will do any good since I'm positive they're all in on it, wanna watch a movie or something?"

Emmy smiled at him, the sides of her eyes crinkled into a fan. The air smelled of either popcorn or burning, and Shane just prayed the school hadn't caught fire with the locked inside. "Yeah, that sounds like a good distraction."

James was laying in bed, his brother brushing out his hair while he paced the room. Owen had decided to sleep over since her roommate was angry about something. She said it had been an accident that played out in class that ended up getting the two in trouble for one reason or another. So right now, Owen was curled up in his bed under all his blankets, no doubt playing on her phone since the sheets had this ominous glow coming through them.

"Hey, dude," James called out to his brother, who responded with a hum. "I feel like I'm forgetting something. Is something going on today at-" he looked at his alarm propped on his desk. "-9:13 or something?"

Ethan looked like he was thinking it over, but shook his head. "I can't think of anything we're forgetting."

"Me neither," Owen yelled from the bed opposite him. Her head popped out from the sheets, her hair tangled around her face. "You're just being paranoid is all."

James sighed, rolling so his back was to the rest of the room and he was almost pressed against the wall. "Whatever, maybe it's just you're haircut or something." Ethan groaned in response, throwing something that felt like paper at him.

"Wasn't my last haircut, like, two weeks ago or something?" he complained, and James just grabbed the ball behind him and threw it in his brother's general direction.

"You guys are the only people I can practice on, you know this," he reminded them, and he felt the bed dip next to him very slightly. His brother didn't weigh much, since he was naturally small and had trouble gaining weight.

"Whatever. Night you two," Owen placed her phone down with a thud on the counter, plugging it into the chord she'd already brought into their room. She was practically a permanent resident already, stocking all the food her roommate banned inside of James's closet.

"Night," Ethan and James said in unison, Ethan reaching onto the counter to turn off the only remaining source of light.

"ETHAN!" JAmes woke with a start, shooting up in his bed. His brother was flipped out of the bed and hit the floor with a thud.

"OW F- WHAT?!" his brother yelled, quickly standing. Owen had rolled over behind him, slowly shaking off her covers.

James was breathing quickly, and jumped off his bed and shuffled towards the door. "I REMEMBER NOW!"

"Remember what?" Owen asked, standing up to follow him anyways.

"EMMY!" he searched his desk for his key, and turned to see, Ethan and Owen looking at each other shocked.

"How did we-"

"I don't know."

"Guys come ON!" James yelled, bolting out the door. Ethan was telling him to shut up behind him, the three quickly making their way to the front door of Bluebell. While he was running, he managed to trip on his own leg and fell with a thud. His ankle ached, but when the two stopped to help him, he whispered, "Go on without me!"

"So melodramatic," Owen sighed, turning around and sprinting towards Poppy Hall. Ethan hesitated a moment before following suit.

Owen felt nice running out late at night again. She missed the thrill she'd gotten while spray painting, but had eventually decided her safety was more important than that. She kept a steady run, always ahead of Ethan by a few meters.

B the time the two made it to the fourth floor, Ethan was audibly out of breath. Owen was fine, and made it quickly to the door. Fishing in her- well, James's that she;d kinda stolen- jacket pocket, she pulled out the key she'd help steal from Mr. Saitomo, who had most all of the keys for the fourth floor rooms. That included unused rooms, surprisingly.

Opening the door, she was prepared to yell that she was there to save them, but before she could she saw two figures across the room. She turned down the hall and signaled for Ethan to stay silent as well. Turning back, she saw Emmy and Shane against the back wall. Shane was on the floor, back on the wall with his head leaning on the window ledge. Also on the ledge was Emmy, who was laying so he head was right next to his, and based on the phone in Shane's lap that was still on, she guessed they'd been watching some movie.

"I ship it," Ethan whispered right in Owen's ear, making her jump and smack him lightly on the arm. "Shemmy for life."

Owen rolled her eyes, knowing Ethan wouldn't see it in the dark, and leaned on the doorframe. "Should we just…?"

"Leave them? Yeah. Let's go find-"

"I'M HERE!" James stormed down the hall. Owen watched as both Emmy and Shane woke up, Emmy being scared so bad that she rolled and fell off the windowsill, and she ended up knocking into Shanes back and throwing his head forward.

James ran into the doorway to see the two lying on the floor in pain. "Oh, uh…" he looked between Owen, who was holding her temples, and Ethan, who was exasperated leaned on the doorframe. "S-Sorry?"

Emmy looked up at him, moving so she wasn't wedged between Shane's back and the wall. "Dude, really?

He shrugged, chuckling nervously. "So I'm guessing you guys are good now?"

The two sighed, Shane leaning his head back onto the window and Emmy laying down a few inches away from him on the floor. "Yeah, sure, we're good. Now leave, because I;m not fucking moving and unless you wanna carry both of us-"

"Oh, can we all sleep in here?" Ethan cut her off, bouncing into the room. "I mean, I'm going to anyway, so you don't have much of a say."

James followed his brother inside, and Owen closed the door behind them again. "Glad to see you two worked this out," the short girl layed down on the floor a few feet away from the others. James sat down next to her, eventually settling down. He tensed up a bit when she rolled onto her stomach and laid an arm across his torso, but he eventually turned so she'd be more comfortable.

Ethan on the other hand decided to sleep between the two groups, taking a similar position to the one Emmy'd been in before on the windowsill.

And that is how Mr. Saitomo found a group of five high schoolers sleeping in an unused classroom at four in the morning and was too tired to even bother waking them up.

They seemed pretty comfortable anyways.

* * *

 **Wow wasn't that a ride. I may or may not have turned Ethan into basically me at the end there.**

 **(#shemmy for lyfe i have no shame)**

 **So yeah! Lets hope 2017 is good, I'm sending my prayers out to all y'all, and Goodnight! I rlly need sleep, so bai. Luv ya 3**


	17. Chapter Seventeen - IPLAY

**Sorry 'bout last weekend. There was some family issues that meant I was around people the whole weekend so I didn't have time to finish this chapter off. This weekend was really tiring too, but I have today off so I decided to do it today.**

 **This chapter was** _ **way**_ **too hard to write in an interesting way. I'm trying really hard not to parallel Hana's route in any way, but it kind of has to be done in a few instances.**

 **I also have an announcement for fellow artists/authors/devoted members of this fandom at**

 **the bottom, so I'd love if you guys would read about it!**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Shane woke up at six.

He, of course, was still in the classroom. Propped up against the wall connecting the floor, he slowly opened his eyes to adjust to the morning sunshine. His head was awkwardly placed so that his left ear was against the window ledge while his body was still vertical, making it seem as if he was almost leaning his head on his own shoulder.

He first noticed Emmy asleep. She was on her stomach, head facing the opposite direction of Shane. Her body was in a star-like position, meaning her limbs took up a fairly large amount of floor space. One of her legs crossed over his, but he simply bent his legs towards him and it rolled off.

Next he noticed Ethan's faint snoring to his left. He could see him barely hanging on to the next windowsill, half his limbs, including his head, were lolling off the side, while the other half was stretched as far as they could go to hold him on.

Just a few feet from the boy laid his brother, wrapped around who Shane could only assume was Owen. It was kind of hard to tell, since James was so tall that he basically enveloped the other girl to the point where he could only see her hair and her one leg wrapped around his torso.

Emmy woke up at 6:10.

She didn't want to, but when the faint shaking of her shoulder refused to stop, she had to move to respond.

Turns out Shane was trying to wake her up. He didn't want her to be late to class or whatever, and he didn't know what time it was since his phone was dead. The closest clock was in the hall since there was no use having a clock in an unused classroom.

Emmy reluctantly looked into the hall to check the time, realizing they had plenty of time to go back to the dorms.

The two woke up Ethan at 6:12.

He almost fell of the ledge when they woke him, since he tried to roll over before realizing he was dangling precariously over the floor. Shane had to shove him back a bit press him against the window to keep him from doing something stupid.

When they told him the time, he recommended getting breakfast at the cafeteria before going back to the dorm, of which sounded like it was most likely aimed at his brother. When he noticed James was still asleep, he decided to change that.

James and Owen woke up at 6:15.

He only noticed Owen was next to him when he tried rolling onto his back only to be held down by a mysterious weight. He opened his eyes to see himself protectively wrapped around Owen, whose hair was all up in his face in a floofy mess.

Owen woke up at the same time, feeling the odd shift in gravity as James tried to heave onto his back. Hey both let go simultaneously, Owen rolling multiple times before landing comfortably on her stomach.

James noticed his brother looming over him as he rolled onto his back, the blonde holding a ruler just over James's stomach.

"Wake up, boy," Ethan whispered, poking him gently. "J'ai faim"

James gently slapped the ruler away, propping himself in his arms. "Does it look like I have any food?" he took Emmy's stretched hand as she helped pull him off the floor.

He heard Ethan huff behind him, but he didn't say anything more on the topic.

Owen mumbled something that sounded something like 'jo hown achime' or something, and Ethan just said, "Morning to you too."

"Chinese or..?" James turned to his brother.

"Korean," he said drowsily, moving past him to shake Owen by the shoulders so she'd wake up.

James just walked up next to him and leaned down, picking up Owen and placing her on her feet. She stood pretty well, but James guessed that if she tried moving she'd probably fall down.

"Are we getting food or what?" Emmy yawned, the girl desperately trying to fix her hair before sighing in defeat and pulling the bun out all together. Her hair fell far down her back, poofing out drastically all over. Shane was visibly startled.

James shrugged, noticing Owen was making grabby hands towards him in a tired, childlike way. He leaned down and let her wrap her arms around his neck before heaving her up and carrying her. "If we are, let's go now."

The five of them silently agreed that food sounded like a good idea, especially Shane and Emmy who, Ethan just now realized, missed dinner last night since they were locked in the room.

The two of them were quite a bit ahead of the other three, silently walking side by side with the occasional yawn or short sentence. Ethan and James talked while Owen dozed off slightly with her head bouncing gently on James's shoulder.

Ethan somehow managed to get James to let him ride on his back, so James ended up falling even farther behind due to carrying two extra people's weights.

Emmy and Shane shared a laugh when they turned around just to see James hauling himself slowly down the staircase, his face absolutely terrified. Shane was mostly laughing at his pain.

They made it to the lunchroom at 6:47.

A few students were sat around, talking in tired half-conversations with each other. James made Ethan crawl off his back as he set Owen down at the closest table. She instantly placed her head in her arms and curled into her seat.

James and Ethan didn't get much, at least not compared to the other two. Both Emmy and Shane had almost a full meal on their trays, while James bought two of the small to-go cereal things, Ethan got a handful of granola bars, and they bought a large milk jug to share.

The group at silently at the table, James handing a drowsy Owen one of the cereals. The silence was fairly comfortable, none of them wanting to speak because of a mix of eating and tiredness.

Shane left first, realizing he needed some time to go water the flowers. He was in uniform so he had no need to change, deciding to just fix his hair with his hands and leave it there.

Ethan, Owen, and James left a bit after, deciding that they should probably go change into their uniforms. Owen didn't look like she wanted to go, but after some edging along from the boys, she managed to get out of the room.

This left Emmy, eating away at the crappy school waffles on her plate. For a high end school, their breakfasts weren't very good, most likely because they knew the students were probably too tired to care.

She ended up leaving about ten minutes before class was to begin, silently making her way across campus. Unlike when she walked to the cafeteria first, there were now students walking around, some talking while others just headed into the building. Emmy followed a group inside, stopping at her locker to grab her books before turning to head into class.

Shane walked into his classroom at around the same time, noticing the anticipation buzzing from one specific place in the room.

PBG and Jon.

"So I see you were let out," PBG smiled, Shane setting his stuff down next to his desk.

Shane sent him a short glare before sitting down. "Yeah, after you guys all _forgot,_ " he snapped, still upset at the fact he had to sleep on the floor. He rubbed his neck, remembering the position it had been in before.

"Wait, they forgot?" Jon tried holding in a chuckle, placing his hand over his mouth. "Rip."

"Yeah, _rip_ or whatever. They woke us up at like, 1 in the morning," Shane huffed, turning around to face the front of the room. He noticed Owen on the opposite side of the room, talking to the girl she'd argued with the other day.

PBG just chuckled faintly, his body relaxed against the desk. "Well, you haven't said no, so I'm guessing you two managed to get along…" he inferred, Shane just responding with a shrug. "I'll take that as a yes."

Emmy walked into her classroom to be met by a far too enthusiastic Ethan for this early. It didn't make any sense to her why he was bouncing around and quickly talking in French until James held up a coffee.

"He managed to drink it while I wasn't looking," James sighed, turning the cup so she could see the name _James_ scrawled across the side.

Emmy chuckled, holding her hand out in front of her so he'd look at her. "Slow down. Language I understand, please," she told him, walking by and placing her bag down.

Ethan was taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly in a way to calm himself down so she could understand him. "Okay, so you know how we're in IPLAY?" he started, just realizing how stupid that sounded. "I-uh… Nevermind. Well, we all play instruments. Me and James were talking when we realized we weren't signed up for any music club at school. We were surprised, so we asked Wallid if there was one at this school. And guess what?"

Emmy smiled at his enthusiasm, sitting down next to James. "What?"

"There _isn't_ one!" he yelled, both Emmy and James making hand signals for him to quiet down. "Oh, sorry. Well, then, James and I started talking and we came up with a great idea." Ethan placed both his hands on the desk, leaning up close with his eyes wide in excitement. "We should _make_ one!"

Emmy tilted her head a bit, looking between Ethan and James. "Make a club?" The two nodded. "Are we allowed to do that?"

"Yeah," Wallid spoke up to her right, making her turn her head. "That's what me and Jimmy did. You just send in a Club Form all filled out, and if the school decided it's a valuable club, they'll allow you to make one."

"You can also be in multiple clubs at a time," Caddy said, leaning back in his chair. "For example, Jon is also in the Drama club, Shane's in the Art club, PBG and Jeff are in the Soccer club, etc."

Ethan was still smiling wide, placing a hand on her forearm to bring her attention back to him. "So? What do you think?" he asked, locking his hands together. "Wanna make a club?"

Emmy just smiled, rolling her eyes. "Is this even a question? Of course I do," she crossed her arms and leaned on the desk. Ethan silently pumped his fists in the air, making b=James chuckle and pull him by the sleeve towards his chair.

Even after Ethan finally settled in his seat, he was still full of excitement. "Oh! James, what if we got the association to sponsor the club at the banquet tomorrow!"

Emmy practically choked on air. "B-banquet? Since when?!"

"Oh yeah you didn't hear about that," James realized, looking at her apologetically. "Oops."

"IPLAY's doing a formal dinner thing for Asagao's annual banquet thing. Some independant bands are also performing, but the association is the main music feature. It's not really _for_ IPLAY, but they're taking it pretty seriously."

Emmy was silent for a moment, her and James holding steady eye contact. She looked ready to say something when he cut in, "No. She's not on the roster. Sorry."

The girl sighed, placing her forehead on the desk. "Of course she isn't. Of course she _f-"_ Lifting her head she noticed Mr. Patrick entering the room and she immediately went quiet.

The teacher looked really tired, at least compared to normal. He wasn't drowsy looking or anything, he just wasn't hyperactive like normal. "Morning, class. Please pull out your Game Mechanics textbook and flip to page 314. Phil, can you read paragraph 2?"

The class began quickly, all conversation dieing as they listened to their fellow classmates read through the mind-numbing pages.

Caddy and Wallid had a whisper of a conversation near the back. "What do you think that was about?" Caddy started, leaning close enough for the other boy to hear.

"What'd you mean? The teacher or…?" Wallid asked, mindlessly writing vague notes across his page.

"Emmy's weird reaction," he explained, looking over his shoulder to look. Her body was slumped over her notebook, her head snapping up as Mr. Patrick called her name on a question. "What do you think it meant?"

Wallid shrugged, ping his pencil against the paper quietly. "I don't know, dude. Why don't you ask later?"

Caddy looked back at his paper, covered in light pencil marks where he'd randomly been drawing his pencil over the page to look like he was doing something. "Yeah, I guess," he murmured, grabbing the top of the sheet and pulling it down, ripping the sheet out to reveal a clean page. "It's probably nothing."

Emmy ended up stealing a hairbrush out of James's bag mid-class and brushing her hair back enough to tie into a ponytail. She didn't like ponytails very much, since you could still tell that her hair was just endless frizz, but it was better than having the strawberry blonde strands falling all into her face every ten seconds.

After class she fell into step with Ethan, who, of course, was enthusiastically ranting about their new club. She listened silently, only telling him to wait up so she could put her stuff into her locker before the two continued their way to lunch.\

It was the last day before the weekend, the temperature taking a severe turn for the cold over the past school week. Emmy hadn't noticed, since she was all cramped up in her room since she got back, but it was obvious that the atmosphere was cooling down if you looked around. The students who once wore rolled up sleeves and the occasional sweater vest now all wore the blue blazers and thick cotton tights. Hair was let down more often to heat up as much as they could.

Emmy was far less sensitive to cold as she was heat. After living in the frigid winters of Germany for her whole life, a slight chill in the wind didn't affect her much. As a precaution, though, she had her blazer tied around her waist, the large square of fabric that made up the vest-like part was draped over the back of her legs.

The two second-years made their way quickly to get food, moreso Ethan rushing than Emmy. She was still relatively full from their breakfast, while Ethan was going off of granola bars alone.

After James showed up at the lunchroom a bit later, the two quickly left Emmy to choose her food. Eventually settling on whatever Mexican-ish food they were serving, she made her way out into the dining hall.

She had two choices.

Far across the lunchroom near the back wall sat Ethan and James among the rest of her friends. Owen was also there now, trying to press her hands against James's face to most likely prove how cold they were.

Then there was the table dead-center of the room. Three recognizable faces sat, one more than the others. The rest she didn't know.

Taking a step forward she made a decision.

"Shane?" she said at a near whisper. The boy stalled, and Emmy felt everyone at the table's eyes fall on her. Actually, it wasn't just them. It seemed almost like the whole lunchroom was looking.

"Hmm..?" he mumbled, turning his head to face her. He was obviously in the middle of eating something, one hand covering the front of his mouth as he swallowed. "Yeah?"

Emmy swallowed nervously, putting on what she hoped was a casual looking smile. "Can I, uh, sit here? Maybe?" her voice was even quieter, her gaze flickering around the room.

Why was everyone _staring?!_

"I-I mean don't feel like you have to say yes! I know we just got o-on good tem a-and such, but I…" she trailed off, shifting nervously between her feet. "I'm sorry, I'll just-"

"What are you rambling about?" he said, confused. He had what Emmy recognized as a neutral expression on his face; a slight frown with half closed eyes. "I don't care."

Emmy smiled nervously, sitting down in the open seat. "I just… didn't know if you were uncomfortable being around me still or not."

Shane just waved his hand, shoulder shrugging slightly with the motion, "It's whatever. I mean, we talked through it last night and all, so-"

"Uh, hi?" the two were cut off by a voice from over the table. Emmy looked over to see a boy looking dead at her. His hair was parted down the center, jacket sleeves rolled up to above his elbows. Emmy didn't know if she was tired or hallucinating but he looked to almost be sparkling?

The boy looked over to Shane, moving his arm to point at her. "Is this the one?"

Shane was tense, his blue gaze cold on the other. "Yeah, sure Jared, whatever. Can you just, forget about that?"

"Oh, hey! It's you!" Emmy's attention was drawn away from the other two by a loud, energetic voice to her right. The two other boys she faintly recognized were sitting two seats down, the shorter waving at her with a smile. "Emmy, right?"

She nodded, "You're name's Jon, isn't it?" He nodded, he taller one behind him waving. "And… PBJ?"

"PBG," he said, a faint chuckle in his voice. He pointed a thumb at the boy who was still whisper-shouting to Shane, of whom was leaned over the table so people couldn't hear them well. "That's Jared, as you heard."

Jared was taken out of the argument for a moment, looking at her with a slightly embarrassed expression. It was quickly replaced with an overconfident, model-ish smile. "Sorry for not introducing myself." He nodded his head down in a sort of sitting bow. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh, uh, nice to meet you too?" Emmy replied, looking next to him to see another boy with a very friendly smile. He had a thick brown beard and eyes that crinkled faintly around the sides.

"Hi! My name's Jirard!" He reached across the table, separating JAred and Shane in the process. She shook his hand gently, his smile never fading. "I'm Shane's roommate."

Just behind him sat another boy, black rimmed glasses placed on his nose. "I'm Satch," he said, his voice low and sweet. "So you're the Emmy Shane was ranting about?"

"Guys can you _please_ just _not_ ," Shane sighed, obviously annoyed by whatever they were implying happened. Emmy didn't say anything, but she looked among the boys confused.

"Yo, who's this?" Someone practically yelled from behind her. She turned around to see a group of five, three boys and two girls. The one who spoke had dark brown hair, and he was shouldered by a redhead and another boy with glasses, this one with light skin.

To their left stood the two girls, one with short pink hair and a red ribbon, the other with long red hair. The shorter, the one with pink hair, spoke up, "Oh, you're okay! You're friends were asking me about you the other day."

Stepping around the boys she held out her hand politely. Emmy took her hand, instantly noticing how small and dainty it was. "Emmy Wadetin."

"Hana Mizuno," she replied, her voice incredibly soft. Pointing behind her, Emmy watched the other girl walk up. "This is Mai."

"Pleasure's mine!" Mai's voice boomed, a stark contrast to the other girl's. When Emmy shook her hand, she felt a very heavy pressure. It reminded her of a very specific other girl she knew.

The boys behind them finally spoke up. "Oh, it's _that_ one, is it Shane?" the redhead said, making Shane turn around violently.

"I swear if one more person brings that up I will, without hesitation, shove this fucking fork down their throat," he threatened, pointing the fork aggressively. The other boy held up his arms defensively.

The one who first spoke stepped up, a lopsided smile on his face. "Oh, cool. "Name's Paul, and this is Nick-" he pointed to the brunet with glasses, who sheepishly waved with a small smile, "-and Josh." He pointed to the redhead who looked away from Shane.

Emmy bowed her head for a moment before realizing something. "Oh, am I sitting in your seat? Sorry, I d-"

"Now, we've got plenty of seats," Nick said, walking around the table with the other two boys. Emmy watched the table shift a bit moving so Jon was right next to her and Hana sat next to PBG. Mai was placed between Jared and Hana, and Paul, Nick, and Josh ended up sitting on Jared's other side. Jirard sat next to Shane, followed by Satch, and empty seat, then Paul, Josh, and Nick.

"Well, it's… uh, nice to meet you all?" she said, feeling extremely small surrounded by all these people. They all are so _nice_. Very quickly they went back to whatever they were doing, leaving Emmy to jump into whatever conversation she could.

She ended up talking with Jon, PBG, and Hana for a bit, learning a bit about them. Shane was trying desperately to get Jared and Paul to shut up about whatever they'd been making fun of him about. Emmy made a note to ask him later when he wasn't so defensive.

Halfway through lunch her conversation flipped to be between her, Jared, and the three boys who she learned were commonly called Continue? because of the article in the newspaper or something. Emmy wouldn't have known since even if she had the free time to read the school paper, she wouldn't have since reading was already painful as it was.

She'd joined in after hearing them talk about the banquet the next day. Paul was saying that the three of them had gone to help out, while Jared was complaining about the choice of flower arrangements or something.

She learned quite a bit about the group by just silently listening. For example, Satch and Jirard are both perfect A student's, PBG is on the soccer team with Jeff, Jon is the head of the drama club, and Hana and Shane apparently had a not-so pretty history regarding her hair color or something.

Shane was a bit, well… unresponsive to the subject.

Hana and Mai seemed incredibly sweet, and based on some simple questioning, Hana seemed to be the one who brought the two of them into the group. Apparently they all played video games, according to Jirard, and while Emmy thought it was a really broad topic for an entire friend group to be based on, she didn't ask any further questions.

Her and Jon got along extremely well, especially when they ended up on the topic of Broadway musicals, somehow. Jon, to the dismay of the entire table, nearly broke out in a play-by-play rendition of ' _Molly Pippins'_ before Shane physically dragged him back into his seat.

When lunch finished she gathered her tray, silently grabbing Shane, Jon, and Jirard's trash before heading towards the bins.

"I'm surprised you wanted to sit with us," Emmy jumped a little, whirling around to see Shane with his hands in his pockets. He looked unamused, but not angry.

Emmy looked at him confused, "Well, why wouldn't I?" Shane shrugged a bit, turning around to walk towards the door. She followed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I mean, I'm not gonna hold a grudge about it or anything."

Shane just did a weird half-chuckle where it looked more like a hiccup than a laugh. "That's kind of _exactly_ what I thought would happen. But…" he looked at her for a moment before turning his head in the complete opposite direction. "I guess I'm… glad, or whatever."

Emmy laughed a bit, making Shane turn around to face her quickly. "What? What are you laughing at?!"

"I'm just-" she calmed down her chuckling with a deep breath. "You just remind me of someone I know is all."

Shane tilted his head a bit, his face flipping from embarrassment to confusion quickly. "Who?"

Emmy pushed open the lunchroom door, looking around the schoolyard. Finding the person she was looking for ahead of her, she pointed at a boy with light orange-brown hair pulled back from his forehead. Two other students of drastically shorter height stood near him, one desperately trying to grab something out of an arm held over his head.

"James?" Shane asked, still sounding really confused.

"Yeah, see that girl next to him?" she moved her hand so she was pointing at Owen, her hair falling just under her shoulders. She had straight bangs that looked long overdue for a haircut, and she was in the middle of grabbing what Emmy finally recognized as a granola bar from James's pocket, the other of which still held high over his head out of Ethan's reach.

Shane nodded next to her, in a slightly exasperated sound. "She's uh, quite the handful, isn't she?"

"So you know her?" Emmy asked, moving her arm back to her side. Her thumb rested inside the waistband of her skirt fingers fidgeting with the fabric. Her other hand twisted a stray hair that fell around her face.

Shane just rolled his eyes, looking incredibly annoyed by whatever he knew Owen from. "Yeah, I do. She asked about him when I met her. I'm guessing they have history…?"

"Mmhmm, they met in orchestra. They get along really well, they kind of balance each other out. James is really overprotective, ya see? While Owen's a bit… well, I guess the best way to put it is that safety is _not_ her number one priority."

"Oh I can tell," Shane mumbled, making Emmy even more intrigued about his story with her.

Before she could ask, though, she felt a very sudden, very heavy weight on her back. She made a short scream before falling forward a bit. To stop her doom, she moved her foot to plant firmly in front of her, keeping her locked in place until whatever- or in this case, whoever- is on her back decides to move.

"I can't believe you already left us!" Jimmy yelled from his incredibly precarious spot on her back. Emmy just sighed, deciding that her back not breaking was far more important than Jimmy's safety, and tilted her body so he dumped off into the grass next to them with a 'humph'.

Wallid came up next to him, looking between Jimmy, Emmy, and finally Shane, of whom he raised an eyebrow either very cocky or sexually, but Emmy guessed it was a bit of both since Shane very obviously flipped him off fro behind her back.

"I mean, really though," Jimmy continued, sitting up so Emmy could see how ruffled his hair was from the fall. "How long did you sit with us, like, two weeks?"

Wallid leaned down to help him up, "It's a new record for number of days a girl's sat with us though."

"I guess that's true," Jimmy sighed, making a sort-of pouty face towards her. "I just really liked her though."

Emmy chuckled, placing her hands on her hips. "It's not like I completely ditched you guys or anything. Plus, I'll probably come back at some point."

"Oh no you won't," Shane spoke up from behind her, stepping around so he was facing Wallid dead on. He glanced at her for a moment before looking back.

The two boys just kind of stood there, staring. No one else seemed to find it odd, though, since Jimmy just returned to bugging Emmy about her seating choice. Emmy let him complain about her 'lack of loyalty' or whatever and just began walking towards the classes. Jimmy ended up getting ahead of her, his discussion eventually trailing off to some other topic relating to Owen and Caddy or something.

Emmy wasn't paying attention. The whole walk she felt a strong pressure in the back of her head, on par to the one she'd felt throughout lunch.

Someone was staring.

This was made certain when, while pushing open the door, Emmy looked back to see Shane and Wallid silently staring, never moving from where they'd been. Her eyes managed to connect to Shane's from the distance, and unlike every time before neither looked away.

They just kinda… stared.

And somehow, Emmy wasn't uncomfortable. At all.

She didn't know how long they sat there, but eventually both Walid and Jimmy sapped them out of it, Jimmy dragging her inside, her mind still in a drowsy haze.

Whatever just happened, she knew it was important. Maybe not to her, but it was to him, in whatever way it could.

Emmy would just have to wait and see.

* * *

 **Shane is so socially awkward I want to save him**

 **So yeah! About the thing I was talking about earlier. I know not too many people read this story, but I thought I should ask anyways. For the banquet scene in chapter 9, I want to have groups of people other than the club and the actual league doing music. It's a sort of open mic kinda thing at the end of the dinner when it's open to just students. So right now, the groups I have are:**

 **-IPLAY**

 **-IPLAY Club**

 **-NateWantsToBattle**

 **-Emmy and Luke**

 **I need a few more slots to fill so it's actually a legit sounding concert, so I wanted to ask if any of you had OCs or Self Inserts you wanted written in? You can either put it in a review or email me at** **vatyndal** **, since either of those will end up in my inbox where I'll most likely see it. You can link off to sources like tumblr and DeviantArt, or just give me a short bio and description. There's a few guidelines though**

 **Character must be yours**

 **You must include a musical instrument choice or your character must be a lead/backup vocal. Also make it reasonable for a school performance, things like piano, guitar, drums, etc.**

 **No or shortened links! I must be able to see the source of the information in the link**

 **Only purely human ocs. Main character traits are fine, but remember that these are minor characters in a story about the confusion around main characters. Also, this is a world that's supposed to follow the same laws of our own, which is why main characters are such a threat.**

 **Also, if you have a female alto singer, they'll most likely do a duet with Ethan, which means they'll have a time in which they met. If you want to specify that, just add it in your bio, otherwise I'll just come up with one.**

 **I'm gonna stop before this gets a mile long. Next chapter should be out next week if all goes right! See you guys then!**

 **Luv ya! 3**


	18. Chapter Eighteen - Just a Theory

**I'm not even gonna bother with a lengthy excuse- I literally just forgot this was a thing I needed to do last weekend. Such an idiot, I know.**

 **This chapter was** _ **so mind-numbing**_ **at first, but I ended up throwing in a scene I've been wanting to write for a while at the end, so that was fun.**

 **Ethan is probably my favorite character, but he's so damn hard to** _ **write**_ **like ugh.**

 **Anyways, hope you enjoy!**

 **3**

* * *

Later that day Ethan and James continued work on the banquet, this time focused on decoration more than set up. Ethan was a bit ticked at the fact that someone had switched out his flower arrangements, but calmed down a bit when he realized that these were _better_ than the professional ones they'd bought before.

Most of the students helping out were the same as before; members of the student council alongside those who just felt like volunteering. This time, though, the drama club had sent its stage crew along to help set up the wiring they couldn't figure out, and some of the art students had placed artwork along the girl's dorm walls and on the tables.

Ethan talked with Nick and Josh again, since they'd both returned alongside Paul, of whom was obligated to show up. Paul had run off to help out the drama kids, which Josh said would be a calamity, but no one seemed keen on stopping him.

After a bit the two wandered off to hunt down their friend, and Ethan was left sitting at one of the picnic tables. Alone.

At least, he was for a short while before another crowd of students walked past, one of them straying off and taking a seat next to him.

"Hiya!" Jeff's voice echoed over the large space, though it was most likely unheard by anyone else over the other loud chatter coming from nearby. "You helping set this up?"

Ethan looked at him, noticing that he'd changed from his uniform into what appeared to be exercise clothes. "Uh, sort of. James told me to stay back, so I just sat down and he has not told me to move yet."

Jeff laughed, smiling down at Ethan with a heavily lopsided smile. Ethan watched as the taller looked around for a moment, his gaze lingering near the place where both his brother and Paul were animatedly pointing at the stage decorations being hung above them. Every time one of them spoke, the girl hanging the banner would pause or continue on her way, eventually deciding to just drop the whole thing all together and climb down.

"You guys are a lot of fun, you know that?" Jeff eventually spoke up, turning towards Ethan so quickly that he almost jumped. "Luke had told us about you specifically during a club meeting when we asked why he looked tired. Said you were using the recording studio so he had to wait until after you left to use it."

"Oh, oops," Ethan replied simply, ripping his fingernails against the table. He paused, running his thumb over the smooth surface of the nail before wringing his hands together.

Jeff watched quietly before continuing, "You play the violin, right?" Ethan nodded. "So I'm guessing you'll be playing with the orchestra?" Again, he nodded. Jeff went quiet for a bit, gaze flickering back to where Paul was assisting Nick and Josh with carrying boxes. "I'll have to look out for you then."

Before Ethan could remind him that only the sponsors would see the orchestra play, Jeff was standing ready to leave. "Well, I gotta hunt down someone, so I should probably head out," he smiled, lding his arms over his chest in a relaxed manner. "I really hope you keep hanging around us," his tone was sincere and calm, eyes sparkling with a sense of warmth that made Ethan's shoulders relax.

"I don't know why I wouldn't," Ethan responded with a smile of his own, and Jeff just ruffled his already messy hair. The lanky boy walked off, waving over his shoulder before turning out of Ethan's field of view.

 _That was odd._ Ethan, deciding that sitting around wouldn't do much good, stood and began walking towards the office. He still needed to get the club sheet anyways, so his feet led him forward in the hot, heavy air.

His near-white hair made the sunlight bounce off, luckily, meaning the top of his head wasn't practically burning like everyone else's. Originally they had enjoyed the cool weather while working on the orchestra setup, but after the sudden shift everyone became slow and incredibly hot.

The office wasn't too far off from where they were working, and since the path was lined with trees Ethan got a bit of shade along his walk. Looking around, he noticed a few groups of students milling about on the lawn.

A group of four girls were all surrounding one's laptop, all laughing together at random moments. Two boys near them were seemingly working on a picture book, one cutting out photos while the other glued them in place.

Ethan also noticed a familiar yellow jacket and black hat farther away, somewhat close to the library. He was next to what he guessed was Emmy solely based on the hair, and Luke looked like he was begging her to do something for him.

Emmy was contemplating it for a moment before nodding her head slightly. This in turn caused Luke to practically tackle her, Ethan hearing his loud cheer from where he was walking. Turning back on his path, Ethan realized he was already at the office. Pushing open the door, he was met with someone who definitely wasn't the normal desk lady.

"Mr. Patrick?" he asked, his voice a mix of confusion and hostility. His teacher turned around from where he was stacking books on the nearby bookshelf.

His eyes narrowed, turning back around for a moment to shove one last book in place before responding, "Is there something I can help you with?" His voice was calm in tone, but Ethan had a strange feeling, almost as if he was walking on thin ice, and one wrong move would make him snap.

"I'm here for the, uh… Club Forms?" Ethan spoke cautiously, walking up so he was right next to the counter. The walls of the office were wood paneled, most likely painted over with some sort of light colored wash to make them a caramel tone.

Mr. Patrick sighed, facing the counter and pulling open a drawer. Inside were rows and rows of folders, labeled exactly like those inside of his classroom. Ethan guessed that he'd been in charge of organizing the office. That or he'd done it purely of his own free will, which also made lots of sense.

His teacher passed a sheet of paper with many boxes and lines indicating where to write. "There," he muttered, turning back around to grab another stack of books off the floor. He began methodically placing them on the highest shelf, far out of Ethan's reach. Looking over the counter he saw that his teacher was on what seemed to be a step ladder.

"I didn't know you worked in the office?" Ethan tried to lift the tense atmosphere with a half-question. He folded the paper in his hands, using his nails to crease it closed so it fit inside his pocket.

Mr. Patrick was silent for a moment, his book stacking never faltering. Ethan thought he wouldn't answer until he heard, "I don't really. I just like it when it's neat." He shifted his feet, reaching up to move another book in line with the others. "Our school's got a reputation to hold up, you know?"

"Well I'm sure the office lady appreciates it," Ethan commented, slowly realizing that he was having an almost civil conversation with Mr. Patrick, like, _how_.

His teacher chuckled, turning to Ethan with an 'are you kidding me?' kind of expression. "Mrs. Ishikawa? I doubt it. She's nice to the students, so it makes sense that you'd think that, but really she's quite the demon to the res of us staff members," Mr. Patrick explained. His voice was cheery, not something Ethan was used to whenever he spoke to him.

"Well, I guess I better leave you to your pointless cleaning," Ethan joked, turning around to leave.

His teacher called out over his shoulder, "Ethan, you're a scholarship student, correct?" The boy made a sound of agreement. "Your brother, James, he is not?" Another hum. "I'm surprised. He's quite smart, your brother. But let me guess. He wasn't always like that, huh?"

"Excuse me sir?" Ethan turned around, shocked by his teacher's ability to read the situation. Mr. Patrick was leaning on the counter now, hands placed on either side of the small stack of books that remained.

"You're brother's adopted, if I'm not mistaken?" his teacher stated, continuing before Ethan could respond. "And what I can tell from your family's history with this institution, Mr. Flipsen, you have quite the brilliant lineage."

Mr. Patrick reached across the counter to grab what looked like some sort of soda poured into a giant water bottle. "For the… _disruptor_ you are, you're still my best student. 'M guessing James gets it from you, of course. I hope you don't mind me asking, what would you like to be when you grow up?"

Ethan was thoroughly confused, but answered, "A teacher, sir. Specifically young children."

"Really?" his teacher seemed shocked, giving up on stacking books to lean fully on the counter. "I would have thought something more…"

"Well-paying? Academically challenging?" Ethan finished his thought, doing something between a scoff and a chuckle. "I get that a lot."

Mr. Patrick thought it over before finally responding, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It kind of explains why you hate me so much, though. You don't like the way I teach, don't you?"

"No, sir that's-!" Ethan tried lying, but seeing the unbelieving look on Mr. Patrick's face, he just said, "Yeah."

His teacher chuckled, waving his hand holding the cup as he turned towards the staff only door. "Well, I really shouldn't be keeping you. I'm sure you've got plenty better to do." Pushing open the door, he stopped in the doorway, holding it open with his shoulder. "And I'll keep that in mind."

Ethan watched him disappear inside, standing still before walking outside in a haze.

That was probably the most he'd ever talked to his teacher. _Ever_.

Mr. Patrick was far more observant than he originally assumed. Thinking back to what he'd read about his teacher, he realized that it most likely came from his history as a researcher and theorizer that made him that way. Ethan just shook it off, looking over the sheet still in his hands.

He noticed that there were a few signature blanks at the bottom of the page. _Club President, Vice-President, Secretary, Other Founders_.

 _Teacher Approval._

Someone needed to find a teacher to be the head of their club. Ethan noticed that instead of a line underneath, it cut off, meaning the blank had to be on the back of the page. Flipping it over, he stared at the line.

The line that was _supposed_ to be blank, but instead had the words _Mr. Matthew Patrick_ in near-illegible cursive.

"Goddamn it," Ethan muttered, folding the sheet and shoving it in his pocket before walking straight into Bluebell and up the stairs.

Emmy's head hurt. _A lot_. Her pen shook over a sheet of Brain Exercises she'd been given to make up for the ones she'd missed. Only problem was, she had no _fucking_ clue what the hell to do on half of them.

Sighing, she began tapping her forehead repeatedly on the desk, listening to the deafening echo of the empty dorm room around her. The silence had become normal now, and Emmy was sometime glad for the fact that she had her room all to herself to do whatever she wanted.

As long as she didn't over think things, she was fine.

After a while, Emmy just gave up on the sheet and stood up, a bit dizzy from the repetitive slamming of her head on the desk.

She grabbed her phone and sat down on her bed, swinging her legs onto it so she was sitting against the backboard, the pillows on her lower back.

While tapping through some rhythm game that OWen had downloaded onto her phone while she wasn't looking, her phone practically slowed to a halt, crashing the game before a message came on screen.

Then another.

Then 5 more.

Her phone was _exploding_ and she had no clue why.

Terrified, she tapped on her messages to see that all of them had come from James and Ian respectively, and deciding that Ian would _probably_ give her a more sane idea of what was happening, she read what he'd sent her

 **Ian MacLeod**

 _Owen's about to jump off a fucking building and James is locked in a closet_

 _Help_

 _She locked the rooftop door and I think Shane is up there and she just said she's about to 'throw a bitch off the roof'_

Emmy booked it.

Pushing outside she saw about half of the boys on the ground in front of the building, some of them yelling things Emmy couldn't understand. She _also_ saw Owen on the very ridge of the building above them, holding someone next to her by the shirt collar.

Running up, she pushed past the small crowd and yelled up, "Owen! What the hell are you _doing?!_ And where are all the teachers?!"

"Jeff dared me to scale the building cause I laughed at him about falling, then I found _this_ asshole up here messing with the flowers!" Owen yelled back, holding her arm out to gesture to Shane, who responded with an undignified squeal.

"I didn't think you'd actually _do_ it!" Jeff yelled back, , head sticking out from a window just below them. Emmy could see Ethan next to him, trying to push past him to most likely attempt to _also_ scale the building.

Emmy sighed.

"Of _course_ James is locked in a closet," she said, walking up to the building and grabbing the top of the window frame. "The only _tall_ one." She continued her grumbling, slowly climbing on top of the window.

Shane, on the other hand, was absolutely _mortified_. He'd just been putting new fertilizer in the flower boxes and lifting one of the morning glories when Owen snatched him by the collar and held him over the edge of the roof before he could do anything.

She was _really_ strong.

While desperately trying not to _die,_ he heard someone else's voices join the other yelling, and eventually had his vision clear just enough to see someone _else_ climbing the wall.

"Emmy, what the fuck?!" Caddy yelled from the ground, pointing up so everyone looked. Emmy was already on the second story out of the reach of anyone who could attempt to grab her.

Ian was practically dead already, leaned against the wall in a defeated slump. Wallid, who was stood next to Caddy, was also shaking, too distracted in Shane's inevitable doom to notice Emmy until Caddy pointed it out. "Emmy! Please we can't handle anymore tragedy!"

"My friends are all damn _idiots_ ," Emmy's grumbles raised in volume as she continued moving up the wall. Her pace was slow, but steady, and she eventually made it to the window Ethan and Jeff had been hanging out minutes before.

Owen was yelling at Shane about something incoherent to him, his mind fuzzy from the slight lack of oxygen coming from the fact that she was holding it so tight. He tried moving a bit, but she just kicked him in the shin and he crumpled back again.

The short girl seemed far too distracted to _actually_ throw Shane off a roof, but Emmy was pretty sure that if she made another ild arm movement, Shane would pass out and end up taking both of them down.

While passing over the fourth story window, she heard a shrill scream from inside, followed by a loud, "EMMY!"

SHe ignored it, grabbing the lip of the roof to pull herself up.

Owen seemed to finally notice Emmy, jumping a bit so she was farther away from the edge. "Woah!Since when did you get here?"

Owen's question was thoroughly ignored by a still grumbling Emmy, of whom just stood, walked over to them, grabbed Owen's wrist, and pulled it free from Shane's shirt. THe boy took a deep breath, falling onto his hand and knees while he breathes. He looked in no shape to walk, so Emmy just grabbed him by the middle and picked him up over her shoulder, making a clicking sound before turning back to the rooftop door.

Everyone was still yelling at the bottom, but it was a much more relieved yell, and Jeff and ethan had made their way away from the window.

Emmy noticed the door shaking, and heard the faint muffled yells of both Jimmy and Luke, and Emmy just responded by yelling, "Back UP!"

The yelling instantly stalled.

Looking at Owen, she jerked her head towards the door and Owen sighed. Moving forward, she lifted her foot and kicked the shovel jammed between the handles out of the way. She then pushed open the door so Emmy could carry Shane through, immediately being met by incredibly loud footsteps and yelling.

James was running full force up the stairs, hair messed up completely and a look of pure terror on his face. That is, before he saw Emmy who was absolutely _pissed,_ carrying a near-fainting Shane down the stairs with a silent and stunned Owen walking behind her.

"Oh, you, uh…" James stuttered, Emmy standing in front of him and gesturing for him to grab Shane off of her. "Oh," he just kinda picked him up, letting Emmy walk past and down the stairs, her figure disappearing around the corner.

Ian seemed to be _living_ now, actually taking a few steps forward before sitting down on the grass. He waited, staring at the door, before Emmy walked out and looked over at him. She looked very… _not_ happy.

"You're _welcome_ ," she hissed, not really towards him specifically, but more towards everyone in the group. Before anyone could respond, she turned tail and began walking off towards the lunchroom.

Ethan ran out of the building, turning to follow her with a piece of paper held above his head while he called out her name."

* * *

 **Just a note since I probably won't point this out ever and it's really hard to catch: James and Ethan are** _ **far**_ **weaker than Emmy and Owen. Especially Owen. James and Emmy are probably around equal, but since James and Ethan were raised in a kind of pampered household, they never did a lot of work. Owen and Emmy on the other hand did a** _ **lot**_ **of work, Owen having done boxing, intense parkour, and worked on a ship for like, a month, while Emmy lived out in the countryside kind of, and basically did all of the housework, helped out her neighbors in their barn, and built a small shed for her to work in since her room was too small.**

 **Emmy also knows all her friends have no common sense most of the time, and puts up with 0 shit. James is** _ **normally**_ **pretty sane, but when one of them is in danger he kinda flips out and probably will start shouting which makes Emmy very not happy.**

 **Side-note, im low-key so proud of myself for remembering minor scenes I've referenced in earlier chapters. If you were wondering what scene I'm talking about, it's chapter 2, when Ian and Emmy are talking.**

 **I guess I should probably remind that I'll still take some ocs/self-inserts for the next chapter! If you somehow missed it, I put all the info in the last chapter. I really could use more, but if I don't get any more (cries) i'll probably just make a few more or use some old half-done original characters. I could also make sneaky self-inserts of my choir buddies I guess, which would probably be hilarious now that I think about it.**

 **Anyways! I bet no one even read this lol It's like a freaking essay. But if you did, you get my stamp of approval. I s2g if I don't upload next week, you can hold me accountable and I'll do something for it, like release the character references that are only ½ complete that I'd force myself to finish.**

 **I (better) see you guys next week! Bai!**

 **Luv ya 3**


	19. Chapter Nineteen - Shadow Walking

**WOW I WAS GONE A** **MONTH** **WHAT**

 **Honestly, when I said I'd upload this earlier, I was not prepared for the actual seventh circle of hell I'd have to traverse. I just moved states and I've never moved anywhere my entire life. It's so weird still…**

 **So yeah, the last few weeks have been hectic as fuck. I haven't been able to work on this chapter like, at all for three weeks which is so bad. I spent one weekend completely with friends, another packing stuff up, and the last one was a mix of sleepovers and moving here. I then spent my one week off unpacking boxes.**

 **I did do SOMETHING though! I finally uploaded a picture of Emmy on my DeviantArt! I was gonna put it on my actually dea Tumblr, but I haven't used it so I was like haha no.**

 **I'll link it alongside all the music in this chapter, and** _ **holy shit there's a lot more than I remember in this playlist.**_ **I'll just give you all the songs I directly referenced, which is like, two, but I promise I made a whole playlist of classical orchestra music I could use.**

 **I'll stop rambling now. If you want to listen to the music as you read along, just check out the bottom for all you need!**

 **Enjoy 3**

* * *

Owen wasn't one to complain about a chance to perform again, but when Luke came up begging her to do a duet with her, she had to very politely respond. She wasn't very comfortable with her voice, choosing instead to just sick with her violin solo in the orchestra's performance and leave it at that.

Luke wasn't going to give up, though, and instead decided that repetitively asking Emmy over and over again would be the best way for him to get what he wanted. She _tried_ telling him that she was already signed up with someone else, but after what was most likely the twentieth time he'd asked within the span of three hours, Emmy had to do something.

So she said yes.

Begrudgingly.

Then she had to handle the whole rooftop thing which just fried her nerves even farther, leaving her to be a ball of tense afterwards.

Ethan seemed to notice this, talking to her a bit calmer than usual as he walked next to her. "So I got the sheet, yes? And Mr. Patrick was nice, he signed up to be our club teacher representative," Emmy half listened, focused more on pushing open the door into her dorm. "And now we have to chose who is in what position, and I wanted to make sure I could sign you up as president?"

"Yeah, yeah, cool," Emmy murmured, stepping up the steps. They walked in silence for a moment before, "Wait, uh-!"

"Nope, you're already written down," Ethan smirked, making Emmy tense her hands in a 'I think i'm about to strangle you' kind of way. "You're the only good option, though! Owen and I can't do it, you _know_ why," he explained, making Emmy think it over before sighing.

"Why not James? He's the most responsible one here," she complained, continuing her heavy footsteps _thunk-thunk-thunking_ on the stairs. She already knew James couldn't do it though- he was far too anxious and was just a general ball of nerves, and also wasn't very stern when it came to keeping a crowd calm.

He was also a bit… _scary_ sometimes.

" _Fine,_ whatever. I'll be the fucking president," Emmy groaned, rubbing her face with both hands. "I swear to god I've signed up for so much shit today."

Ethan looked at her confused before shrugging. "Anyways, when are we gonna practice before the show? I'd like to have at least a run through," he pushed open the door to her floor so she could walk through, following her down the hall.

"Wanna just do that now? Luke kinda forced me to do something for him, so I think I'll use tomorrow for that," she explained, approaching her door and digging through her pockets for her key.

Ethan seemed to think something over before chuckling. "So _that's_ what that was about."

"Huh?"

"I saw you two talking outside when I ran to get the form," Ethan said, following her inside of her room. He noticed the immense clutter of her desk and the surrounding floor around it, and walked over to her chair to sit down.

Emmy on the other hand was reaching up to the top shelf of her closet, and began pulling out what Ethan guessed was her guitar. After grabbing it, she propped it against the wall next to her.

Ethan noticed that on the side of the room that had once been her roommate's stuff, there were now a bunch of paintings hung on the wall. A few pictures were also pinned up or hung by the gold thread tie. Above her desk a small set of grayscale photos were in line.

Each of them had the same boy as the focal point, one having him surrounded by young children, another with him in an art studio. He wasn't familiar to Ethan but he had an idea of who it was.

He didn't ask.

Emmy was flopped down face first on her bed, slowly pulling on the hair tie still wrapped tightly around her reddish-orange hair. Ethan just stood up, stretching out his back in an almost cat-like way.

He noticed Emmy tugging on the back of her hair, eventually running her fingers all the way through so that it fell in a ring around her head. She rolled over, causing her hair to fall across her face. "I wish Renee was coming."

"I know you do," Ethan sighed, standing on his toes to pull a porcelain rabbit off the top of the white desk. "But none of us know where she went off to after moving to Spain. Not even you. I don't think she's just gonna show up at an obscure performance for the second season players."

Emmy huffed, pulling the hair off so she could see the ceiling. "She just got me, ya know? _Beste freundin_ and all that," she finally sat back up, and Ethan walked over to sit next to her on the edge of the mattress.

"I know. But you have to remember, she's not _actually_ in the orchestra. She's in a completely separate branch of the league," Ethan reminded her, brushing her poofy locks out of her face so it sat behind her ears.

Emmy's gray eyes flickered over to him for a second, and she looked ready to ask something, when she apparently thought better and chose to just fold her arms over her chest. Ethan wrapped an arm around her shoulders, shaking her a little.

"Don't be sad, though! You've still got us, don't you, mon ami?" When Emmy didn't respond, he unwrapped his arm and bumped her with his shoulder. "Wir lieben dich."

" _Nein, bitte, halt_ ," Emmy chuckled, placing her head in her hands. " _Mach das nicht."_

" _Was, sprech deutsch."_

" _ **Ja."**_

Ethan laughed, turning to smile at her. "It made you laugh, though, didn't it?"

"You're butchering my culture," Emmy chortled, her normally hidden German accent incredibly strong. The two of them sat for a while, making fun of each other for the weird cultural quirks they had, like Ethan's inability to say 'Lieutenant' in english and that Emmy would accidentally put z-sounds in words where it 'just kinda fit'.

They spent long enough, in fact, that James had to show up at her door and drag Ethan back to their dorm room when he had accidentally stayed past curfew. Emmy could hear him forcing James into being Vice President from all the way down the hall.

The day of the performance was hectic at best. Owen wouldn't "wake the fuck up" as quoted from Ethan, and Emmy managed to tear a hole in her tights before making it out the door.

By the time the four of them were by the school gates, a sea of performers were already trekking towards them. In the front of the crowd was an older woman, graying hair cut down into a sort of bob-like haircut. She was wearing a suit with shoulder pads sharp enough to stab a man.

"Mrs. MacDaniels!" Owen yelled, running forward to give the woman a tight hug. Emmy was scared she'd fall over, but 's held up pretty well.

Mrs. Juliane MacDaniels, referred by pretty much everyone but Owen as Mrs. Julie, was the IPLAY music branch director. She's been doing it for 35 years, meaning she'd stated at the spry age of 32. That landed her age just above 67, her birthday being two months prior to the Asagao performance. Apparently, before joining the orchestra Mrs. MacDaniels lived in Scotland alongside her parents, and worked as some kind of tech coordinator.

"I seh you've lost weight, again," Julie pointed out, looking over at Emmy with a condemning stare. Emmy chuckled meekly, shrugging a little before walking forward to give her a small hug.

"You have _no_ idea."

Ethan was quick to start on one of his lengthy rambles with no real point. It started as a simple conversation on the orchestra's happenings, but when it started delving into rant territory, everyone started tuning him out.

After a while, Mrs. MacDaniels finally notified James's existence with a faint scowl and a monotone, "Hello." The two hadn't gotten along pretty much since Julie learned that he and Owen were friends.

She didn't approve.

Emmy spent her time helping the other band members unload instruments from the back of the two van-bus hybrid things that had driven them there. She also grabbed four sets of the printed sheet music booklets so the four of them actually knew the songs they would be playing. Mrs. MacDaniels had already emailed Owen to tell her that all four of them had done the music at the beginning of the tour, so there was little need for review.

That didn't stop James from obsessing over his piano solo in one of the songs, and Owen finally plugging in her bass guitar for the same song.

Since Emmy hadn't had much of a notice on the whole thing, she never got any practice at all, but since they had about 6 hours to spend on practice she was sure she'd be fine. After all, she was the only one of the four in her small group who didn't have a solo.

Emmy had been briefed very quickly over texts with James how the whole thing was going down, with the whole 'Classical At 3 and Casual At 7' buisness. The formal dinner would be around 3 hours long, giving the orchestra and student body a chance to set up before the more casual, open mic sort of thing would happen. According to Ethan, the food was going to be some sort of culture mash up.

There were the faces Emmy assumed would show up, like the entirety of the trombone section and about two tubas, but then there were the kids who normally only came to the shows as backups. One of which was James's backup on the piano, of whom normally didn't come to any performances that weren't mandatory since she was almost always stuck on page turning duty.

Emmy was helping out the bass cellos, specifically the thinnest boy who couldn't seem to get close enough to the back of the van to grab it. Owen and Ethan were standing off to the side in a giant group of the violin and viola players, while James was helping alongside some other strong looking guys to carry the heavier instruments on stage, or more specifically, his 'piano child'.

The white piano that James always used was practically his home during the whole tour. He practically forced Mrs. MacDaniels to let him use it at any stage that already offered a piano with easier mobility. He refused to use any other in performance, and while no one knew the exact reason why, Ethan guessed that it came from some deep rooted over-reliability issues.

When it was around 9, or after an hour and a half of set-up, Mrs. Julie finally started the practice. The songs were incredibly familiar, the only change being the soloists in the main song. James, of course, stayed with his original position, but instead of Owen taking the violin solo and another person taking her position as bass guitar, Mrs. MacDaniels placed Ethan in her place. Turns out the second bass ended up falling off of a boat in the middle of the ocean and caught an insane case of pneumonia.

Ethan was pretty stoked, and did very well in the practice run, which most likely meant the performance was going to be good. Ethan was reliable in the sense that once he did something right, that would become the standard from then on.

Only issue was that he had some sheet reading issues, normally failing to recognize key signatures when reading piano and many times playing an octave higher than he was supposed to.

Emmy, on the other hand, was having some _major_ problems.

Mrs. MacDaniels seemed to notice her off in the corner struggling to follow along, so after going over the last song she walked back without Emmy noticing. She stood in front of her until Emmy looked up, to which Mrs. Julie responded by grabbing her by the jaw and lifting her so they were on eye level.

"What did you do to your eye?!" she remarked, started. Emmy blinked her eyes once before giving a half-hearted chuckle.

"I… uh- it's a, uh, long story…" Emmy stuttered, ghosting her hand over her eyes.

She's completely forgotten. _That's why everything's a bit blurry._

Mr. Patrick hadn't made her read since she came back, since he provided audiobook versions of all the text book pages or required reading. Many times they were closer to incredibly well-edited slideshows rather than pure audio, so Emmy didn't have to read along to understand what was happening.

"Well can ya read? Or have you at least memorized it?" Mrs. Julie asked, crossing her arms while Emmy turned her music back to the beginning.

Emmy just nodded, standing up so she could shift around her stand before looking at her director. "Don't worry, I got it. None of these are too difficult for me anyways."

Mrs. MacDaniels just nodded, not even noticing as Owen snuck up behind her to look over her shoulder. "Was happening?" she asked, making Mrs. MacDaniels jump a little before shoving her off her shoulder.

"I was just makin' sure she coul' read the sheet music, what with 'er eye an' all," she replied, making Owen look at her confused.

Emmy internally facepalmed herself, and explained to Owen, "At the beginning of the year, I left a week after it started after getting attacked in the city. I retained some bad injuries that kept me out of school until this semester."

Owen still looked a bit confused, and leaned in to look at her eyes. A bit _too_ close if you were to ask Emmy, but she just kinda raised her eyebrows until Owen hummed a little sound.

"Damn, you're right-"

" _Owen."_

"Sorry, sorry- _dang,_ you're right. I don't know how you caught that, it's really well hidden."

Emmy smiled, tapping the space next to her eye. "Colored contacts."

"Well, shouldn't you have gotten a glass eye?" Owen asked, "If you lost vision in it and all."

Emmy shrugged. "There's scientific testing going on at the medical school near the hospital I went to. The two are a joint kinda thing, so when they approached my parents about the surgery, they offered a chance of reducing surgery costs by allowing me to test some different options for them," she explained. Pointing at her eye again, she said, "This is the one they chose to go with. I get new contacts shipped in weekly."

"Cool," Owen smiled, standing on her toes again to look her in the face. "So that's why your eyes are a kinda funky color, right?"

Emmy knew she was referring to the fact that the contacts tended to be a more solid color. The closest they had to her original was a faded out gray, that even though it was the closest, it was still really different looking to the blended out blue-green that normally surrounded her iris.

"Ja- er, yeah," Emmy stuttered a bit, looking over Owen's shoulder to look across the stage. "Did you notice how many people showed up today?"

Owen turned as well, seemingly noticing the large crowd on the grass. "Yeah, I noticed. I think there's a holiday going on right now in different places? So a bunch of people have a long weekend right now."

"Oh."

Owen seemed to notice someone across the grass, cause without a word she started running towards the end of the stage before jumping about 4 meters away and nearly landing on a kid eating a sandwich.

Looking back again, Emmy was ready to talk to Mrs. MacDaniels a bit more about the orchestra, but where she had once stood was now completely empty. There was no sign of her- or anyone else for that matter- on the stage.

…

 _Odd._

The performance started a few minutes later than usual due to some technical difficulties, of which were most likely ensues by Ethan and another violinist due to the fact they were desperately trying to hide behind the taller orchestra members.

One of which, of course, was James, who practically threw Ethan half way across the lawn, thus causing _more_ chaos.

So, in short, everything was going _great_.

Shane was watching this all go down from Hana's room window, where he'd been dragged by a few other Normal Boots members to sit until the dinner. Now that he and Emmy had gotten on normal terms, he'd decided to not miss out on the food. Jirard was also there with him, alongside PBG and Continue?

Jon, Jared, and Satch couldn't come since Satch was out helping fix all the issues on stage, and Jon was helping with the microphones. No one really knew where Jared was. Continue?, or more specifically, Paul, would have to go out after the formal show since the student body had to introduce stuff and make sure the pace didn't burn down.

Hana and Mai had set up some sort of board game Shane had never heard of. Mai said her family had sent her a bunch of games they'd collected on a trip through the Americas, which also explained the immense amount of Canadian and American candies piled into a bowl.

Shane had opted out of that inevitable disaster, knowing all too well the effects of PBG and Paul with a bowl of candy. Shit went _down_.

At the moment, everyone was watching helplessly as Paul and PBG overenthusiastically fought over the last KatKot, while Mai and Hana sat in the corner eating an entire bucket of what appeared to be popcorn, but Shane couldn't get a good enough view of the bucket at any point.

Jirard eventually came to sit across from him on the other arm of the white chair he was sat atop of. "Whatcha looking at?"

Shane just pointed out as the music faded out on the last song. From what Shane could hear, it was an orchestra rendition of 'Für Elise', but he wasn't quite sue.

"Should we open the window a bit?" Jirard asked, to which Shane just responded with a shrug. Jirard must've taken it as a yes, since he shifted forward to crack the window open about 3 inches.

The stage shifted for a moment, the director moving off to the side of the stage while the pianist stood up. It looked like James, seeing as he had his hair the way it normally was, but he was also wearing far more formal clothes than Shane was used to.

Looking out over the sea of instruments, Shane saw a fuzzy orange blur in the middle of the Cello section that was most likely Emmy. A member of the violin section that Shane also recognized stood up and moved to sit in an empty front chair, picking up what looked like some sort of guitar.

The re was no song introduction this time.

The pianist just started… clapping.

The whole orchestra eventually joined in, and the audience soon followed. The pianist then sat down, and the song began.

And then Shane saw the dancers.

"Holy shit is that-"

" _Jared?"_

Jirard seemed to notice him too. On one side of the stage, the farthest from them, stood Jared, wearing pretty much all black. On the opposing side of the stage was a girl in a red dress. The two were walking in time with the music slowly across the stage.

"Wait, Jared? Where?" Mai called out from across the room, ditching the food to look out next to them. When she saw him, she gasped, clapping her hands together. " _That's_ why!"

Shne was tempted to ask her, but he was too focused on watching the performance. James played on his own for a while, the orchestra still clapping along, but eventually he stood up, a low wind instrument taking his place. He began conducting the orchestra, something SHane had no clue he could do.

After a few seconds, Shane saw the unmistakable flash of white that mean Ethan was walking on stage. He took to the center in front of a music stand and began playing.

And much to Shane's shock, it was _really good_. He didn't know exactly why he was shocked, seeing as he already knew he was good enough to enter a prestigious international orchestra, but nevertheless Ethan was really good.

Jared and the other dancer were doing a lot of fast steps and swings, and Shane guessed that the song was a tango. More instruments joined in, swirling together into an epic orchestral piece. An accordion player with thick, curly black hair joined Ethan on center stage, and as the song neared the end, drums started clashing in too.

It was _amazing_.

Suddenly, however, it cut out, the dancers stopping dead center. They stood for a moment as the crowd clapped, when suddenly the music kicked back in again. They walked across each stage and bowed, the music continuing to be as powerful as it was before.

Shane could still head Ethan clearly over the other violins, and he could see Emmy a bit more clearly when he leaned against the window. James continued conducting as the piece got louder and louder until the final notes were played and the music faded out.

The crowd was really enthusiastic, clapping really loud. When Shane looked side to side at the other windows, he noticed that a large majority were now pried open.

A voice was heard from down on the stage, "That was _A. Piazzolla. Libertango._ Thank you all so much for coming to Asagao's annual music showcase. Big round of applause for IPLAY for coming out and performing for us!"

The crowd continued their applause as two other figures joined the one at the mic. The older woman took the microphone, saying, "Hello, I'm the director of the orchestra branch. I really hope you enjoyed our performance. I'm not one for speaking, so I think I'll leave it up to my assistant student director-" she gestured half heartedly towards James. "Let's see how this goes."

James appeared to heave a sigh before taking his place in front of the mic. "Hello, everyo-"

His voice was cut off by Mai slamming the window closed. "They're just doing that boring rambly crap. Plus Jared's just standing there, so I'm gonna go wait for him in front. Hana?"

Hana nodded, picking up the bucket to hand to PBG. Him and Paul had stopped fighting a little while ago, Paul seemingly winning the brawl. PBG accept what was left of the food gratefully, while Hana and Mai slipped out of the door.

The four boys sat in the room for a while, Jirard moving to sit next to the chair while PBG eventually drifted towards Hana's bed. The two girls came back a bit later, Jared and Jon walking in behind her.

Jon called out as he entered for Paul to head out, and all three of the Continue? boys walked together out of the room. Shane chose to mess around on Jirard's phone since he left his to charge back in their room. Jirard said it was fine since he was about to to join back into the board game.

Shane ended up playing some rhythm game that was downloaded onto it that he couldn't seem to grasp. It had music that reminded Shane of Emmy, though for what reason he wasn't sure.

"Guys, it's almost 7," Shane pointed out, turning off Jirard's phone and passing it over. "Isn't that when the dinner starts?"

"Oh shit yeah," Jon jumped up, nearly kicking over the now filled bucket of what Shane finally recognized as caramel corn poured from one of many bags stacked in Mai's desk. Jared picked it up before his foot made impact, and he gently pushed it onto the middle of Hana's dresser.

All of them shifted as one out of the room, Mai nearly forgetting her keys and practically diving to catch the door as they walked away. Jared seemed visibly distraught.

They (luckily) made it outside all in one piece. It seemed that most students were also heading out, especially from the girl's building since they had a more clear idea that the floor was empty.

It was relatively dark out, but not so much so that Shane couldn't see in front of him. The students making their way down the dim path looked like blobs of shadow walking towards the moon, and it made Shane feel eerily alone.

PBG ended up running off after Jeff, who was closer to the front of the crowd alongside Luke, Ian, and, somehow, Josh. When they finally made it to the stage area and sat down, Hana asked him why Josh was out. Turns out that after Jon left, the soundbooth malfunctioned and Luke was the only one Paul trusted to fix it. He had been hanging out in Jeff and Ian's room, so since they'd have to go to the stage soon anyways, they just stuck along.

The tables around them filled up quickly, some students opting to sit down on the open grass to the right, below the girl's dorm windows. Most had blankets, but others were sitting on things from jackets to books, or even just the grass itself.

The stage itself was incredibly bare compared to when the orchestra members had been on it. The actual performance had stopped about 40 minutes early to allow them time to pack up all their stuff into whatever they'd driven down in.

It seemed that all the members of said orchestra were sat either at the front tables or behind the stage on a variety of cardboard boxes that Shane had noticed stacked up during the performance itself. The people back there, however, were quite limited.

Emmy was back there alone, messing with something Shane couldn't see over the people in front of him. He only saw James at one of the tables, but based on the way he was animatedly talking, he guess Ethan and most likely Owen were sat next to him.

On stage sat a piano, drum set and a few stray stools in the back. Mics in stands were placed in front of the stage, Luke messing with them from what Shane could tell. Caddy and Mai ended up shoving the two tables Hidden Block and Normal Boots had claimed together, thus creating one chaotic mega-table.

It was way too loud for Shane's liking, but he and Ian just shared a comfortable corner of silence together. Hana ended up coming to sit next to Ian as well, creating a triangle of discomfort.

Shane was incredibly relieved when Luke finally moved the mics on stage as Paul took the mic. He did the normal 'Hi, Welcome, Have Fun!' sort of speech, then called up the first people on the list.

This continued for a while, Shane noticing a lot of ametuer acts where the person either looked overconfident or scared shitless. A few acts, however, were pretty damn good.

The third act, for example, featured a girl wearing a tux on the piano and a boy in a dress sat next to her on the stool called "The Ballad Blossoms". He sounded quite melodic, and Shane caught on to the fact that he was singing a melody of video game music, which was nice. They both ha black hair, but the boy had a blue streak down the center, and anytime he looked out to the audience, Shane could see a flash of red.

Another was a traditional rock band called "NateWantsToBattle" or something? It seemed… odd. But the original track they performed was really good, and Ethan seemed a bit over-enthusiastic about the whole thing seeing as Shane could hear him clearly from where he sat. A teacher in the back also seemed really into it, but Shane didn't recognize him from any classes he'd had.

There was another band as well, one that didn't seem to have a name. One girl was singing the song at first, and Shane was kinda confused why the guitarist had a microphone until they joined in purely for the chorus. The kid hd this striking purple hair that stood out against the average hair of their peers. They seemed scared out of their _mind_ , but they were really good, surprisingly. While they were performing, though, Emmy came out of nowhere and started dragging Luke by the collar out of his seat.

"You ass! We're on next and you're still wearing _that?!_ " She was whisper-shouting as Luke scrambled to stand. "Come _on,_ let's go!"

Shane watched the two run off backstage, Emmy throwing a bag after him as he entered what seemed to be some make shift changing booth.

The band closed and was followed by polite applause. After they left and Paul tried introducing the next…

No one came on stage.

It was obviously Luke and Emmy, seeing as she'd already said they were next, and she looked frazzled out of her mind. Just as Paul was about to move on, a really loud crash and a "We're coming!" was heard backstage. Paul exaggerated an eye roll as he reintroduced them again.

Shane vaguely recognized the song. It was one of those kind of suggestive songs that wasn't _too_ suggestive, but just enough that basically everyone caught on. It was actually kind of hilarious, though, since Emmy kept stealing Luke's hat at any mention of taking off an article of clothing, and Luke was obviously not prepared for that.

After about the third time, he practically yanked it out of her hand, causing her to be pulled along with it. Shane prepared for the worst, but she expertly played it off as a spin, catching his other arm in one of those poses where the two hold on by only the arm.

Emmy seemed oddly comfortable on stage, smiling a lot more than Shane was used to. She was normally pretty depressive, but she seemed really lighthearted and fun dancing around Luke while he watched, visibly suffering.

But, for some reason, Shane was _really_ uncomfortable.

Enough so that, halfway through the song, he stood up and just..

Left.

Emmy saw this out of the corner of her eye, a flash of green and black booking it towards the nearest alleyway. She felt a bit hurt, but just shrugged it off and kept going.

She couldn't really blame him.

Shane, on the other hand, was incredibly confused. His head throbbed as he leaned against a wall just outside the path between Bluebell and Primrose. He rubbed his face, slowly shifting along the wall before walking in front of the alley.

Then there was a smash on the back wall.

Shane's head shot up quickly to see shards of glass falling from where they'd impacted the brick. THere was a splash of wet dripping down, and as he was about to step closer, a sudden bang and a thud came from the dumpster placed next to the door leading to Bluebell's kitchen.

"Who's- what's there?!" Shane yelled, and a sound of pain came from where the dumpster had been struck.

A faintly familiar kid stood up, propping himself up on the wall. He reeled around quickly, but apparently it was too fast because he suddenly became really dizzy, and began supporting himself on the edge of the dumpster.

Shane looked at him a bit closer, though it was difficult in the dark of the path. "Wait, you're that kid who tackled Owen, aren't you?"

"Huh?" the kid grumbled, trying to focus on Shane from where he was. He his eyebrows furrowed, but he soon seemed to realize who it was, saying, "Oh, it's you." He then continued to sit back down and wave to Shane from below the dumpster. "Name's West, how's the weather?"

His voice sounded groggy and heavy, almost like he'd… "We're you drinking in the alley?" Shane questioned, stepping forward.

West heaved a deep, single chuckle, "Are the sky is blue, darling?"

"Wait, wha-"

"Yes, doll, uh huh. What'd ya think the facking smash was?" West snarked, peeking his head around the corner to look Shane dead in the eye. "The flowers bloom in winter under the right snow dew, rainfall, darling."

Shane just stared at him confused, blinking slowly. He tried processing anything the boy had just told him, but he was coming up blank. While staring, though, he noticed West's incredibly tired looking body. He seemed frail, almost like a starving kitten. His arms were sticklike in comparison to his legs, and he had an incredibly defined ribcage, even when slouched.

"Hey, you're names Shad, right?" West croaked.

"It's Shane."

"Ok, ok, Shanine, got it," Shane was about to say something, but he just shut his mouth. "You two seem on good terms now, ain't ya, Mr. Flower?"

"What?"

West was gesturing between Shane and a random window 4 floors up. All of the lights were off, the only sound being Emmy and Luke's performance coming to a close.

"You know, I always knew you and Thorny would become friends. She's a good one, that Thorny, always… a flo… flow… er…" West suddenly collapsed in on himself, leaving Shane standing confused.

"The fuck was that," he whispered, looking back up towards the window. He didn't think it was Emmy's, since he was pretty sure James had said she was on the same half of the building as Hana and Mai, but he wasn't sure. And who was _Thorny?_ It wasn't Emmy, right? It was the only logical fit, but why would he know about that? Unless…

He knew one of her friends.

Looking back down at the boy, he honestly didn't know what to do. He knew West would probably wake up here, but…

He had something else to do.

Turning around, he began walking out of the alley, turning one last time to whisper something to the now unconscious West.

"Fucking Shanine."

* * *

 **I've wanted to write the alley scene for months now.**

 **I promise, all these characters actually do something in the story. Just not yet lol.**

 **This chapter was kinda fun. I'm trying to learn to pace my prose correctly, but I kinda suck at that lol. I have a friend back where I loved who was really good at prose and sucked at dialogue, and I was kinda her opposite.**

 **I'm glad I got this chapter done tho. The hiatus was nice, but now I'm ready to start writing again. Sorry if uploads are kinda sporadic, that's just the outfall of me settling in.**

 **Ok, now time for the music!**

 **Fur Elise -** **watch?v=09oNj9UYM7g**

 **A. Piazzola. Libertango -** **watch?v=kdhTodxH7Gw**

 **(This one is actually super good tho lol)**

 **Luke and Emmy's song was inspired by 'Promiscuous' by Nelly Furtado. I don't know** _ **why**_ **I thought this was those two, but I did. And this happened.**

 **Also Emmy ended up hijacking Luke's hat at the end and running off stage as he becomes progressively more distressed over the fact people** _ **saw his hair oh my gosh**_

 **Here's a link:** **watch?v=0J3vgcE5i2o**

 **All the the other songs were just what I imagined them playing lol**

 **Thanks so much for being patient you guys! All the kind messages were really sweet. And thanks to wiiuland and coloredgalaxies for letting me use their ocs! It helped a lot in making the cast more diverse lol. I'm a super slow character designer lol. Like, I think James had about… 5 completely different designs before I settled on this one?**

 **If you wanted to see the** _ **official Emmy artwork wow**_ **here's the link to my DA. I'l be putting more refs on there too, so expect that**

 **Again, thanks for reading and staying with my story! I love all of you so much, and all the support makes me so happy to release updates 3**

 **See ya!**


	20. Chapter Twenty - Reverb

**Sorry guys, life just kinda suck right now. I've gotten sick twice in the past month, I'm** _ **still**_ **sick actually, my inspiration feels drained, I feel kinda depresses atm, and school's just a pain. I've been doing things to distract myself, like video games and art, but writing just made me feel worse.**

 **Like I was a failure.**

 **So I ended up taking a really long time on this. It's incredibly long due to me not being able to pace the story correctly before this chapter, so a bunch of scenes feel rushed when they should have had pretty much a whole chapter to themselves.**

 **I guess… sorry, guys.**

 **I'll try and be better. It's the only way I'll start feeling better- amping up the production quality.**

 **I put a tracklist at the bottom. Love you guys. You make this all worth it.**

 **3**

* * *

Emmy was way too frazzled getting off the stage. Her nerves had kicked in part way through the performance, and she ended up nearly taking both her and Luke out when he managed to catch the hat.

She didn't _mean_ to start taking his hat, since she already had a good idea that he hated having it off, but it was the only thing her left hand could do aside from twist the mic cord or hand awkwardly at her side, both of which were things Luke told her not to do.

After returning his hat after she'd run off stage, she tried explaining what happened and he seemed pretty chill about it. He did continuously mess with his hat more than usual after that though.

Walking out from backstage, she took a deep breath to steady herself. Her nerves were shot and her right hand felt cramped and uncomfortable. She didn't know if what had gone down on stage had actually happened or if it was just her mind flipping out again.

She was walking towards one of the tables when she noticed a worse-than-normal Shane walking back around the dorm room building. He looked incredibly dazed and unsettled, but he was moving with a purpose. He looked kinda like a zombie, but in a less I'm-trying-to-kill-you kinda way.

He ended up sitting down across from her, and she was pretty sure he hadn't realized he'd done it since when he shook himself out of his stupor he looked at her like she'd come out of nowhere.

"Oh, uh, hi?" Shane questioned himself, blinking his far off gaze so it was closer to her face. "Sorry, kinda out of it, one sec."

"I can tell," Emmy waited as he rubbed his eyes and rested his arms on the table. He placed his forehead across his folded forearms for a moment before stretching his neck and looking back.

Emmy leaned against the table too so she could hear him over the immense chatter from the crowd that seemed to occur between acts. "You okay dude?"

"I'm fine," he said shortly, putting extra emphasis to tell Emmy that this topic was over. "Had to step out for a minute. How'd you and Luke's thing go?"

Emmy sighed, giving a half shrug before placing her face in her hands. "I mean… meh. Could've egoe better, could've gone worse. I haven't done a song like that in a while. Mostly mellow music, not pop."

"I get that," Shane said simply, watching as Emmy scratched against her hairline, causing stray hairs to fall out of her bun and over her face. He made a sound that faintly sounded like a chuckle, but it was more empty. "You're messing up your hair."

"I know," Emmy muttered. "It's fine. It's not like I'm going… back…" Emmy lifted her head suddenly,eyes wide. "I'm performing again."

Shane raised an eyebrow in a _are you kidding?_ sort of manner, and Emmy just heaved a sigh as she stood. "Where are you going?"

"Guitar," she groaned, hand covering her eyes like she was extremely overwhelmed. Shae didn't doubt that she was. "Can you help me with something?"

"Hmm?" Shane hummed, confused.

"My guitar's on top of a bunch of shit. Last time I took it down it all fell and almost killed me. Can you come hold it up so I don't die, cause that would be one more thing that I just don't need to deal with tonight."

Shane thought it over, shrugged, and stood up. "Sure, nothing else to do."

Emmy gave a faint smile that gave away the fact she was overworked right now. She mouthed a _thank you_ , then began walking off.

Shane made his way just behind her, following her into Primrose and up the stairs. She was tense, but also seemed too tired to go much faster than a brisk walk. He just realized that she'd changed from the flat black dress she'd been wearing before to a layered lime and cream dress that fell just around her knees. It matched up well with what Luke had been wearing, which was a cream shirt and light brown jeans.

Her head hung slightly as she walked, hands swinging as she walked. As they headed down her hall, she fumbled with something around her neck and pulled a key connected to a strap from inside the top of her dress.

She stepped inside, Shane following behind her. "Over here," she pointed towards a closet as she walked. "I planned on taking it out last night, but James apparently shoved it back in my closet before Ethan violently shook me awake."

Shane saw the case stuffed between the ceiling and a bunch of other boxes. "How'd you get it out on your own before, though?"

"Less stuff. Ethan helped me stack up stuff from the floor so I could fit everything," Emmy explained, reaching up to grab the handle of the case. "Okay, stand next to me and hold all this up."

Shane did as she said, crossing his arm in front of her so he had one planted on both sides of the guitar case. Emmy tugged on it quickly, bringing it free of where it was stuck.

But not without the box it was directly placed on falling out and nearly nailing her right in the face, had Shane not half caught it, half pushed it towards the other wall.

"I knew you'd come in handy," she chuckled, stepping back to swing the case over her shoulder. Shane attempted to pick up the box, but couldn't seem to lift it very far.

Emmy stepped up and unstuck his hands from beneath the box. E seemed to accidentally death grip his hand as she lifted the box with one hand and slipped it into place.

" _Ow,_ " he hissed, making Emmy jump and let go of his hand.

"Sorry!" Emmy smiled shyly, turning back to the closet to pull a light blue tank with black leggings off a hook. "Well aren't you lucky."

Shane looked at her, confused. "What? Hey, wait, WAIT-"

Emmy took him by the arm and shoved him into her closet, closing it after him. "You get to hang out in there while I change." He sighed, watching as the light turned on inside. Most liely so he didn't hit anything.

Since he had nothing else to do, Shane looked around what was stored in her closet. The only thing in reach, aside from clothes, was a white bin with the lid snapped onto it. Was labeled _Leftovers,_ but Shane had a feeling it wasn't food based on the weight.

He silently snapped the lid off, revealing a small assortment of photos, papers, and a book. The book nor the papers seemed very interesting, but the pictures.

Holy shit the pictures.

All of them had the same group of three to seven people on it, two of which were family shots.

Had there been no labels, Shane would have thought them as random photos Emmy'd collected, but it was quite the contrary. They were, in fact, of her ad Saniya's families.

Most of which were of Saniya's, based on the writing on the backs such as _Saniya - 11_ or _Fikri & Akara Honeymoon. _The term leftover seemed to mean things Saniya's family had left behind when taking her stuff.

The thing that unnerved him the most were the photos from either before Saniya was born or just after her birth. Unlike all the other pictures, Saniya's mom, who Shane figured was Akara, looked different.

Her hair was _that_ shade of pink. That unnaturally pastel, through-and-through shade of pink that made him shiver and immediately shove the pictures back where they'd been.

Just as he snapped the lid back onto the top and scooted back, the door pried open and the lights turned off. "The fuck you doing, looking at my socks?"

Shane looked behind him to see a basket he hadn't noticed at first piled high with socks. He looked back up at her and simply said, "Sure."

Emmy laughed, holding out her arm for him to grab onto. "You're an idiot."

"Guilty as charged," he chuckled, standing up. The back of his head banged against the shelf above him, making Emmy laugh again.

Emmy turned around to grab her stuff again, gesturing towards the door. "My liege."

"Please, stop," Shane tried to keep a totally straight face, but the corner of his mouth must have twitched up for a moment, since Emmy then started announcing-

"I saw that!" She jogged up next to him, following him out the door ad kicking it closed with the back of her foot. "For someone who supposedly doesn't laugh a lot, you aren't living up to that title very well."

Shane just rolled his eyes, "Would you rather I have no reaction to anything you say?"

"Hey! I wasn't saying it's a bad thing! In all honesty," Emmy flipped the small amount of bang she had dramatically. "I'm flattered you think I'm funny."

"I wouldn't go that far," Shane joked, making Emmy huff in frustration. "You're just an idiot is all."

Emmy raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. Yeah. Well could an idiot have done this without you noticing?" Emmy held up the hand between them, and between her fingers-

"How the fuck'd you get my wallet?!" Shane yelled, attempting to snatch it back from her hand. She just passed it to her other hand, holding out of his reach. "Give that ba-!"

He'd been leaning against her in an attempt to grab it when Emmy slipped, causing both of them to crash to the floor. Shane ended up with on arm lodged under her stomach, the other grasped onto her wrist. One of Emmy's legs was bent so her ankle rested on his back.

" _OW,"_ Emmy groaned, shifting in an attempt to stand, but obviously unable to. "Get off."

"I _can't_ ," Shane hissed, pulling on the arm lodged under her. "You're pinning my arm down."

Emmy attempted to lift her stomach, but since Shane was laying across her, unable to move, she couldn't get leverage. "Well I can't move, so you've gotta do something!"

"Uhhh…." Shane looked around, trying to find something to use to move them. "One sec. I'm gonna try and roll a bit. It might hurt your leg though."

He then tried to push one foot off the wall to get himself off her a bit. It didn't really work, though, and just left him more stuck than he had been before. "I can't get leverage on the floor," Emmy muttered, showing how every time she pushed on the floor, her arm sipped forward.

The two of them were struggling, since every time Shane moved there was a jolt of pain in his shoulder, and Emmy was being basically crushed.

After a moment, the two heard something down the hall. "The fuck happened here?"

Footsteps clicked down the hall, and Emmy felt Shane desperately trying to wring himself free, to no avail.

Emmy tilted her head to see two pairs of feet next to her head. The first voice had been familiar, but not as much so as the second. "Are we interrupting something, or…?"

"Fuck off Ethan," she yelled, moving her free arm to grab onto his ankle. "Help"

The kid next to Ethan sighed. "Just roll the other way, Shane," Emmy watched the kid lean down and tug Shane in the opposite direction by the shoulder. Emmy had enough weight lifted to tilt slightly, and his arm pulled free. "There."

"Don't act cocky, Paul," Shane grumbled, rolling his shoulder while Emmy was pulled up by Ethan. His shoulder felt flat, no matter how many times he rubbed it.

Emmy's guitar had fallen in such a way that she had been laying on the strap, but Shane hadn't fallen on it. It was now hung awkwardly against the front of her body, one arm hugging it loosely.

"What even happened, though?" Ethan placed his hands so they rested on his hipbones, leaning on one leg. It reminded Shane eerily of Mai.

Emmy just dismissed the comment with a hand wave and a heavy sigh. "Bigger question- why are you two here? This is the girl's dorm, in case you've forgotten."

"I was looking for you," Ethan tapped his white belt with a pointer finger. He'd changed a while before, into blue jeans and a red top that was a shade lighter than the one Emmy was wearing. "I knew you had to change, so this seemed like the place."

"And I came cause it was intermission. Plus Nick and Josh ran off somewhere and I have to stay within range of the stage incase they need me," Paul explained with a yawn. "I'm _drained_."

"Same," Ethan and Emmy replied at the same time, Ethan rubbing one of his eyes with the back of his hand.

Shane stopped the mindless shoulder-rubbing and shoved his hand into his pockets. "It's been-" he looked behind Paul at the clock mounted on the wall. "-ten minutes since we left."

Paul tensed, "Shit I'm supposed to be back in 2." Without another word he booked it back down the hall, leaving the three of them to walk together back outside.

Shane ended up splitting off from the two, since they walked along the path towards backstage while he went back to his table. No one asked him where he'd gone, but Hana gave him a look of _Are you okay?_

He just shrugged, looking back towards the stage, where Paul was messing with the microphone stand.

Emmy was glad Ethan chose a song she liked. They didn't have very similar tastes in music, since Ethan liked rock while Emmy leaned more towards mellow indie. The song he'd chosen, however, was relatively old, but was remastered for a single acoustic guitar, a drumset, and a bass guitar.

She didn't know how Ethan had managed to get James to play the drums for a performance. He hated those things with a passion when he had to play them for other people. According to Ethan, he was fine playing them on his own, or even sometimes just for Ethan, but for anyone else he got incredibly defensive.

Owen wasn't surprising, though. She _loved_ the bass guitar. Her mom had given her the one she'd used for years just before joining the navy. Owen had taken that thing all over the planet, and was almost as signature as her graffiti.

Ethan didn't play many instruments. In all honesty, Emmy was pretty sure he could only play the violin, though he said he could play the flute. She doubted that.

He was a very good singer, however, though he'd never gone through any sort of vocal training. Ethan was a very sing-songy person, much to James's annoyance. His goal in life, other than being a teacher, seemed to be a rock singer. Emmy wasn't sure where it came from, but it sure as hell wasn't from James.

All four of them _could_ sing, Emmy and Ethan just preferred it over the other two. Owen hated the fact that she was a high soprano while James just thought that he wasn't very good.

Emmy was an average-to-high alto, so her range was pretty wide, and so was Ethan's average-to-low tenor. Ethan wasn't even at his best singing rock, but he was still pretty good. Emmy preferred his voice in more mellow, slow music, but what he sang wasn't for her to decide.

Emmy made sure Ethan let her choose the clothing. Ethan said he wanted it to be black and red, but Emmy told him that they'd be practically invisible in the poor lighting, so she switched it to white and red instead.

Their performance was one of the last, and Emmy was incredibly grateful. It gave her and Ethan time to go over words, even though they basically knew them all, and allowed James to get his drum anxiety out by prying a cymbal off the drum set and running off to violently crash it for a solid 8 minutes.

According to Ethan, it was pretty normal.

The four of them eventually sat down on the backstage crates when James had fixed the cymbal back in place. Owen refused to carry another crate over, so she just sat on the same crate as James, leaning her back on one of his arms so they were sitting perpendicular.

Ethan was sitting with his legs crossed, leaning on his arms folded over his knees. He was running his thumb over the surface of his nails over and over again, so much so that the pure white nail polish chipped on one of his fingers. Emmy had positioned herself to sit in an almost mermaid-like half-lay. Her legs were to her side, and she rested her torso weight on one of her arms. The other arm was rested on the neck of her guitar, laid out flat in front of her.

"Good job on that fourth measure, Ethan," Owen smirked, twirling her black hair between her fingers. Her bangs had grown out to the point that they passed her eyebrows and almost covered her eyes. James kept trying to brush them out of her face, but Owen swatted his hand away.

Ethan huffed, glaring at her with shadowed green eyes. They clashed against his near-white hair, making them look almost catlike, even though they were far from bright. "Oh shut up. It wouldn't have happened if James had cued me on time."

"Excuse me?!" James scoffed, pointing at his brother. "I cued you _exactly_ on time! You just weren't paying complete attention! Don't try and blame me for the fact you missed an _entire note_."

"It was only because I was frazzled over the fact I almost didn't make it on stage on time! And no, you _didn't_ cue me on time, because you technically didn't cue me at all! You used Ivan's cue, not mine!" Ethan defended himself, keeping his voice just low enough so you couldn't hear it on stage.

Emmy just huffed, playing a single string on her guitar as quietly as possible. "You guys are so petty, you know that?"

"You're not much better!" James exclaimed, crossing his arms. "Remember the whole scrambled egg fiasco?!"

Frowning, Emmy defended herself, saying, "It's not my fault that restaurant couldn't cook a damn egg! I mean, why the hell would you put _asparagus_ in my eggs while they're _cooking?!_ "

"Guys, please," Owen was chuckling to herself, bringing her legs up to rest her heels on the very edge of the crate. "Save your voices."

Emmy startled, leaning back to where she'd been. "Sorry,."

"She just gets defensive over her eggs is all," Ethan teased, chuckling when Emmy turned to hm with a glare. "But you're right."

James still looked distraught every time they brought up the performance, but far less so than he'd been half an hour prior. "You guys all need haircuts really bad. It's making my nerves shot."

"You're the only one we trust to cut our hair so…" Owen commented, leaning her head closer as she drew out so.

Ethan and Emmy nodded, Ethan stating, "You're not much better off yourself."

James made a faint whimper sound, reaching up to claw his hair back. "I know. I ran out of my shampoo too, and even though our parents ordered some a month ago, it still hasn't shipped in."

"They managed to send it to an island in the Bahamas, somehow," Ethan laughed, uncrossing his legs to stretch one out in front of him. He leaned out to grab onto his toe for a second before leaning back. "Sad thing is, they also sent my phone case with it."

Emmy chuckled, also swinging her legs out in front of her. She lifted her legs just enough to go around her guitar. "Is that why you've been using that piece of crap for so long?"

She was implying the fact that Ethan had used the same plastic clear case covered in a buttload of stickers for way longer than he usually would. He'd kept the same phone for a long time for some reason, but he was always buying a new case for it. The last one had been a test of something lightweight, but all it did was make him paranoid to take it anywhere since he was used to heavy cases.

Ethan seemed ready to reply when, from somewhere near the edge of the stage, a call for "IPLAY" rang out. James stood up immediately, dragging Owen up with him.

"Shit it's happening why is this happening I'm gonna _die-"_ He was cut off by Owen thwacking him on the arm and dragging him off towards where they'd kept their stuff. Emmy and Ethan followed more slowly, all of them eventually gathering at the edge of the stage.

Luke was also standing there, holding an extra two mics. "Yo guys. You on next?"

Ethan replied with a "Mmhmm!" and began rambling about how good his performance from earlier had been. Emmy coughed, slightly offended, but Ethan just responded by waving his hand without looking at her. "Yeah you were good too."

"Oh shut the f-"

Emmy was cut off by applause from the ground up front, and she looked up on stage to see the act, a single drummer who'd played an impressive solo cover, walking off stage as Paul took the mic.

Luke gave them all a wave and mouthed _good luck!_ before running on stage to connect the second mic. They had to take it off for that act apparently since the soundboard was malfunctioning and couldn't simply turn it off.

As Paul did some brief filler-talk, some stage hands were moving things around setting up the drums and Owen's stool in the proper place. Eventually the ground was filled with the sound of "Please welcome to the stage Asagao's own newly-founded club, IPLAY!" Paul sounded dead inside by this point, but none of them really noticed nor cared. Owen ran on stage first, setting up her guitar.

She was followed by James, who was breathing as calmly as he could muster while he twirled the drumsticks in his hands. Ethan and Emmy walked up to the front mics at the same time, Emmy moving it slightly to the side.

She relaxed her shoulders, shifting her hand up the fretboard. Ethan had both hands on the mic stand, and her turned to give Emmy a small time, mouthing the words _Let's go._

The song started with Ethan humming to guitar, before Owen quiety picked it up and Ethan started.

 _I hear you wanna say something to me?_

Emmy smiled.

 _You know what I'm gonna say._

The two of them held eye contact, giving them somewhere to look instead of… well, black.

 _I don't, why don't you tell me right now?_

The drums had kicked in by this point, and Ethan could tell James was still tense, but he was chilling out bit by bit.

Ethan watched Emmy take up the chorus, realizing how happy she looked. It was a good change, and Ethan watched her smile when he'd throw in an adlib without her being ready. He took the verse with enthusiasm, and the two went back and forth for a while.

Emmy eventually followed him by randomly making humming noises before the chorus. Ethan's favorite part came up, where the two of them went back and forth before Ethan took up the main part of the chorus instead.

Owen was in the back on the bass, making stupid faces at James in hopes of lightening the mood. She made him almost laugh once, and took that as a win. At one point her hair blew into her face, and she had to awkwardly flip her hair around her head so it wouldn't be in the way.

She watched Emmy and Ethan up front, seemingly having a lot of fun. Owen kept up with humming where she was supposed to, James joining in eventually at the end. Emmy and Ethan reached the part of the song Owen liked the most, even though it was just Emmy on the guitar with Owen and James in the background still.

Ethan was making random sounds at times, mostly Waahs or Mmms, not really words. As the two reached the closing, Ethan took harmony while Emmy stayed mostly on melody. As it drew to a close, all the instrumental cut out and Ethan finished with a final _Don't you come ba-ack no more._

The applause on that one had to be one of, if not, the biggest of that night. Emmy was beaming, and Ethan ran up to hug her from the side. James stood up, waving at the audience as he guided the other two off stage. Owen followed behind, waving as well.

When they made it off stage, Emmy made some sort of high pitched squeal sound and picked up Ethan hard enough that all the air from his lungs was forced out in a big exhale. He managed to get his arm free enough to give her a small pat on the back before she set him down.

Owen was incredibly tired, as made clear by her slightly more irritable attitude and the fact that right after she set down her stuff she forced James to carry her around for the next 10 minutes.

Emmy took time to sit off on her own at one of the front tables. She talked for a minute with the other performers who'd also sat there before standing to grab whatever she could from the food still left. As she grabbed a sandwich of some kind off a plate, she felt someone tug her sleeve.

She turned to see Ethan, the expression on his face that of someone who knows they've done something wrong. Before he could say hi, she cut him off, "What did you do?"

"I invited all of our friends to hang out in my dorm room even though James told me I couldn't so now we can't do it in my room but I don't wanna cancel can we do it in your room _please?"_ Ethan spoke quickly, meaning it took a second for Emmy to process everything he'd said.

"Wait, _what._ How many people is that?!"

Ethan thought it out in his head before saying, "15."

"DUDE!"

"I'm sorry, okay! I wasn't thinking about _numbers,_ honestly. Plus you have the biggest room! And no hall monitors even come to your weird end of the hall anyways," Ethan tried bargaining, and even though Emmy really wanted to say no, she also knew he'd find a way to do it anyway.

"Ugh. _FINE._ But you have to supply stuff," Emmy said, defeated.

Ethan, on the other hand, looked overjoyed. "WOOT! I'll bring the bags for sleeping!"

"It's sleeping ba- WAIT YOU ARE… not. Sleeping…" He'd already run off. "Fan-fucking-tastic!"

"You sure do swear a lot, don't you?" someone commented from behind her, making her turn around quickly. It was PBG, Hana standing just beside him pouring water.

"Oh, uh, sorry. I don't mean to, honest," she explained, embarrassed. Hana chuckled, handing her boyfriend a cup of water that he took with a nod.

With a smile, she said, "You remind me of Shane in that sense."

"Wh-huh? How?"

"He swears a lot without knowing. I mean, he does it consciously a lot too, but I think it's a coping mechanism for him in stressful situations," Hana held her cup between both hands, rubbing her thumb along the rim. "He did start freaking out when I cursed once though!"

PBG laughed, Hana holding his cup from the bottom so it wouldn't spill over. "He did, didn't he! I think he hopes that he can swear enough for all of us so we don't have to. He tries not to show it, but Shane really cares about us."

"I do what now?" Shane's voice made Hana jump, nearly knocking over the table had Emmy not planted her hand across the side to push it down.

Hana chuckled, replying with a quiet, "Nothing!"

Shane looked over at Emmy in slight confusion. "So Ethan tells me we're sleeping in your dorm…?"

Emmy huffed out a sigh, "Apparently."

PBG laughed, flashing her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. We aren't _that_ bad."

"It's not you I'm worried about," Emmy muttered, looking behind her to point at Ethan and Owen messing with James with a stick one of them had found. "You would not _believe_ the chaos those three induce."

Shane scoffed. "Have you _met_ Continue?"

"Who?"

"Paul, Nick, Josh?"

Emmy pointed at the stage. "That's Paul, right?"

All three of them nodded. Shane continued, "Those three have broken so much shit I can't even count that high."

"They are the reason I got to know you guys, though," Hana giggled, leaning against PBG. "And the reason I met this piece of work again."

PBG responded by ruffling her hair slightly, making her laugh. Emmy realized Shane had drifted away from them and closer to her side, so she leaned over and whispered, "God they're cute."

Shane chuckled, leaning back to respond, "They're better than Mai and Jared, that's for sure. Those two are _unbearable_ sometimes."

Both of them laughed, Emmy gesturing back towards her other friends. "James and Owen are too oblivious to realize they have crushes on each other. Especially James. But they hug _all the time_ and it's the cutest shit I've ever seen."

"The height difference is really… _wide_ ," Shane commented, looking back to see Ethan and Owen sitting on James, who had supposedly been wrestled to the floor since he was laying face down on the dirt. "MJ seems pretty motherly? Like, he doesn't want to hurt anyone, but he's still protective."

"That's pretty much the opposite of Owen. I'm pretty sure you've learned by now that she's pretty… fight ready," Emmy laughed. Shane thought back to the rooftop fiasco, and simply nodded.

Emmy and Shane ended up talking about their friends until the end of the show, at which Paul rushed to close it out and ran off the stage. Ethan started talking to the table made up of mostly their friends before waving at Emmy from a distance. "You ready guys?!"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Emmy called back, walking over with Shane, Hana, and PBG behind her. Ethan gave her a quick hug and a quiet _Thank you_ before running off ahead of everyone else. Jimmy, Luke, Paul, Nick, and Josh all followed him.

Jirard and Satch remained at the table, Jirard giving Emmy a small, "Good luck!" as she passed. She gave them both a small smile, slightly upset that two of the most calm people she knew wouldn't be there to counteract the chaos.

Ian ended up walking alongside her, asking her if she was sure this was a good idea. "Of course it's not. But I don't really have a choice, you know?" Emmy shrugged, Ian just kinda nodding.

"I kinda do. I mean, not exactly of course. But I threw all reason out to join these idiots-" he gestured at some of their friends nearby specifically Wallid, Caddy, and Jeff. "-and while I regret it sometimes, they can be… fun."

"Love you too, Ian!" Jeff yelled, jogging past him and pushing him on the shoulder. Ian just sighed.

When the swarm of them started heading up the girl's dorm stairs, Emmy ended up forcing herself to the front of the group so she could unlock the door. Ethan and the group who'd run off with him disappeared, and when Emmy had asked James and Owen about it, they told her he'd gone to his dorm to grab something.

Emmy jogged ahead with James, Owen choosing to stay behind and chat with Jon about something related to broadway? Emmy didn't really listen.

She managed to open the door just as everyone else walked up, pushing it open and holding it so people could walk in without it slamming them in the face. They all filed in quickly, and oddly seemed to have enough room.

Most of them went to sit either on the wide chairs or on the floor in the far corner. Jared and Jeff took the two rolling chairs placed at the desks, while James, Ian and Wallid sat on the nearest bed.

"Welcome to my shithole dorm room, featuring: empty desk, empty bed, overstuffed closet and creaky doors," she emphasized this by slowly creaking the door to a crack so Ethan could come in the room without anyone having to let him in. " _Enjoy."_

Most everyone had someone to talk to, Emmy choosing to jump over James and sit on the bed with them. The room was relaxed and quiet, most of them relatively tired.

That is, except for Ethan, of whom was practically sprinting his way up the stairs of Primrose with the other five behind him. He was carrying a backpack only, while Luke and Nick both were carrying pillows and Paul, Josh and Jimmy had blankets. Jimmy had draped multiple over his head, and had announced that he'd "Evolved into Jimmburrito" or something.

Ethan opened the door to Emmy's room with his ankle, causing everyone to look up at him confused. Emmy just glared at him in a _Don't break anything_ kinda way and he just ran over to lay across James's legs.

"Hi! I brought you something~," Ethan hummed, digging through the bag he'd thrown in front of him. Emmy was sat with her back on the wall, James on the headboard. His legs stretched all the way to the opposite side of the bed, With Ian propped opposite to him on the foot of the bed and Wallid next to him. Between Emmy and Wallid was a small gap where Ethan had placed his bag, Ethan himself laying with his upper body on James's legs and his knees dangling just above the floor.

Emmy looked confused as Ethan handed her his phone. "...Why?"

" _Rhythm games,_ " Ethan whispered, shaking Emmy's leg with his arm. " _We're playing now."_

Emmy frowned. "Who is this _we_ we're referring to? You only have one phone and the only other game is- _you brought-"_

"Uh huh!" Ethan smiled, tugging Emmy off the bed as he slid backwards. "Come on! You've been in such a bad mood, you need to be not-mad for one time tonight!"

"I'll tell you I've been _plenty_ fine this whole night," Emmy huffed, swinging herself around so she could stand up. "It's _you_ who's getting on my nerves."

Ethan frowned, crossing his arms. "Look, I'm just trying to get you to crush me at something so you don't hate me right now."

"You're _better than me!"_

" _Not!"_

" _Are too!"_

Owen stood with a grunt, walking over and picking Ethan up by the middle. "Small child, please, just go set it up. I'll get her to play if you _shut up_."

"But I need-"

"Her TV's in her closet," Owen pointed, placing him on the floor so he was facing it. "Now _go._ "

Ethan walked off, calling out for someone to help him move the television in her closet. Emmy looked back at Owen, who was standing with her hands in the pockets of her white shorts. Emmy couldn't see her wrists past the fabric half tucked into her shorts that fell over her hands.

"I'll play, I guess. He's just been…" Emmy trailed off, looking in the direction where Ethan was laughing as him, Luke and Jon carried her- well, her parent's- TV towards Saniya's desk. Her parents had been mailing her a few of the really heavy or big things she'd left behind slowly- things like paintings or, well, televisions. They'd sent it with a letter that said they'd bought a new TV for another bank's opening and got a deal if they bought two, so they got one for themselves and sent her the new one.

Owen shrugged, blowing her bangs out from her eyes. "I know, but you know he can't help it," Emmy looked back at the other girl, who was staring solemnly as Ethan laid down to roll up in a blanket next to Jimmy. Caddy had made his way over to, his foot brace getting caught in Emmy's carpet slightly as he walked.

"Yeah… I forget sometimes," Emmy whispered, running her fingers over her neck.

Just then Ethan flopped onto his back, the blanket falling off of him. "You guy's coming over here or what?" Before he got an answer he leaned up to shuffle through the bag he'd brought with him.

James suddenly came up behind Owen, leaning on her head in the way that didn't mess up her hair. It just irritated her. "What're you two moping about?" he gave Emmy a quirked smile before leaning over Owen so he was looking at her upside down.

"None've your buisness," Owen attempted to shove him off, but he just put his full weight on her, making her back sag. "You're an ass."

"What was that? I have a great ass? Why thank you," James chuckled, leaning off her shoulders as to not accidentally make her fall and crush her.

Owen just smirked. "I mean, _no,_ but also yes." She then turned around, leaving James slightly confused as she sat with her legs crossed next to Ethan balled up in his blanket.

Emmy walked to sit on his other side, James choosing to be behind all three of them. Everyone else, catching on to the fact that something was happening, all moved to surround the TV. Jared brought his chair, but Mai kicked him off and took it from him. Owen drifted back towards James, draping a blanket over his head and laughing as he struggled to pull it off.

Emmy noticed that Ethan seemed extremely happy at the fact he was surrounded by so many people, which was unsurprising. James had explained that he always got that way around crowds, most likely due to his self-induced isolation so he could speed up his education.

"You ready?" Ethan smiled, bumping Emmy's shoulder with his own and holding out a tablet-like controller with buttons on either side. "You can go first.

Emmy jokingly frowned, taking the controller from him and shrugging her shoulders. "Sure, you're going down either way," she tapped on the screen linked to the TV, bringing up the game Ethan had put in. "Huh, I was actually expecting you to force me to play Keytar Champion."

"Dammit I forgot!" Ethan groaned, falling back to reveal Paul and Lue staring at her, confused.

Luke spoke up, saying, "You play Keytar Champion?"

"Sadly," Emmy chuckled, continuing through the menu screen. Raising her voice, she called out, "Someone choose one, I don't care."

After a second, Caddy spoke up from her right. "Sairai looks cool."

"Sairai it is then," she tapped on the song, pausing before hitting play. "I'm just gonna play this one, then you guys can do this if you want. Ethan's probably gonna force you all into a tournament-" Ethan raised a hand from his place on the floor to give a thumbs up. "Mmhm, so if you don't know what this game is, it's pretty simple. You just tap the notes when they hit the line, standard rhythm game."

Jon was visibly heard complaining before Shane told him to shut up. Emmy just sighed, clicking for the game to start.

The chosen song started relatively slow and quiet with simple piano, and was relatively simple to play, even with one hand. She had propped the tablet on her lap, slightly hunched over. Emmy didn't have to worry about other people looking at her screen since they could see it on the TV.

The song picked up rather quickly with drums, but it still wasn't that hard. It wasn't until the middle when Emmy almost missed a note when she had't expected it to be a double hit not a single. But she managed to catch herself, and sgot to the end of the song fairly easily from there.

"I'm honestly not shocked," hummed Ethan, finally propping himself up fully from where he'd been reclined on his elbows. "You like that song a lot."

"James hates it though," Owen chuckled, flicking James playfully on the temple.

"Yeah, cause Ethan made me play it once at 11 at night the day before exams when he lied to my poor, drowsy self and told me I'd incorrectly dated it," James hissed, slowly leaning towards Ethan.

Everyone collectively turned in the room towards Wallid. "What? Why are you- guys please it wasn't _that_ bad!"

"You made me pass out in the middle of my final!" Jeff yelled, PBG nodding alongside him.

Shane huffed, "Yeah, and I had to rush to finish my art project within the hour of the deadline cause _you_ decided to 'prank' us by switching _every single one of our fucking calenders._ "

"It's not my fault you guys don't use digital reminders!" Wallid defended himself, raising his hands in a 'don't kill me' kinda way.

"Owen, weren't you the kid that threw the teacher's papers out the window the day after finals and had to retake the entire thing?" Ian smirked, leaning back against Caddy's chair. Caddy tried to push him off, but when he realized he couldn't he just kinda gave up.

Owen turned quickly to glare at him. "HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THAT?!" she yelled, making James cover his ears and lean away.

"Shh," he whispered, placing his fingers over her face. "Too loud."

Ian chuckled, but before he could respond Shane leaned forward and commented, "Ian knows everything." A large amount of laughter broke out from around the room, confusing the four orchestra members.

Josh seemed to notice this, and commented as the laughter died off, "Ian knows a secret about literally everyone."

"He's not exaggerating," Ian shrugged. "I know stuff about kids y'all ain't never heard of."

"It's an outfall of him being a prick," Caddy commented, pushing on Ian's head so his neck bent at an awkward angle forward, pushing his throat against his chest. Ian responded by slapping at his hand until he eventually grabbed his wrist and pulled it off. "Isn't that right, _Moosey?_ "

Ian rolled his eyes, continuing to lean against the chair. "Shut the fuck up James." When James, who had been thoroughly distracted with helping Ethan fix something written on a sheet of paper, snapped his head up in Ian's direction he corrected, "-er, not you, sorry."

"This is so goddamn confusing," Jared sighed, his body propped against his elbows. "Can't you just call him Caddy like everyone else? It'd make life so much easier."

"I have a vendetta," Ian hummed, elbowing Caddy in the shin on his good leg. The other foot, placed in a foot brace soon after the doctors realized his foot was actually fine and his soles were just sore, dangled awkwardly over Ian's shoulder so he wouldn't be sitting on it. "The day he stops calling me that name, I'll stop calling him James."

"I honestly don't care," James joined in, handing Ethan the sheet of paper back. "I'm just not used to it is all. No one I've ever known has been called James."

Ethan whispered something to him, and when James just looked confused Ethan raised his voice a bit. "I thought your mom's brother had your name?"

"Oh, Uncle J? He shares my birthname, yeah, but not James," he explained, gesturing faintly with his hands. "He was Uncle Jacob if you want to get technical."

Owen scoffed, "That's not your name."

"Yeah it is."

" _No."_

" _Yes."_

"It's Jaco-" before Owen could continue, he pressed his hand over her mouth, making a shush sound.

Everyone in the room looked really confused. "Wait, your name isn't James?" Jimmy asked, followed by scattered "Yeah"s from around the room. "Or Jacob?"

Everyone turned to Ethan when James refused to say anything, but he just raised his hands defensively. "Sorry, can't say anything. Blackmail." Owen looked visibly defeated, eventually pulling his arm off with a huff.

"Don't ask me either," Emmy said, her face flat. "I didn't even know."

"It's not even that _bad,_ I don't see what you're so mad about," Owen muttered, smacking him lightly on the back of his head.

James just replied with a juvenile, "But it's _embarrassing!_ " before pulling his legs to his chest and putting his chin on his knees. Owen lined her face up with his with the most dead-eyed glare that only she could pull off. After a moment James sighed, looking away and waving his hand as he placed his forehead where his chin had been. " _Fine._ Go on."

"Gladly, Jacobus Diantha Bakker," Owen chuckled, making James groan in discomfort at her tone.

Emmy sat in confusion as a few of the others chuckled beside her. "Why is your middle name _Diantha?_ " Instead of James answering her, Ethan leaned his head back to look at her.

"His moms made his name a combination of what it would've been if they'd adopted a daughter," he explained, looking back at James. "So if they'd chosen a girl, she would've been named Diana Jacobus."

"JD and DJ," Owen chuckled, running her fingers through James's hair. "He's legally registered under a double name, so he's actually Jacobus Diantha, not just Jacobus."

Wallid spoke up from next to him, "So why James? Wouldn't it be Jacob?"

James finally lifted his head to speak. "I wanted to make sure they'd be able to call out for me and my uncle with separate names. I don't like the name Jacobus all that much, and since James is the equivalent, I chose that."

"Wait, I'm kind of confused," Jeff said,making everyone turn towards him. "Ethan said _moms._ Are your parents lesbians or…?"

"Yeah," James nodded, his gaze flickering towards the back wall.

"So why did Ethan's family adopt you if you were already adopted?"

James was upset. Anyone could tell. He looked on the verge of tears.

Owen looked Jeff in the eyes and shook her head.

The mood in the room plummeted. James stood up without a word and stepped out of the room, Ethan telling Owen to stay seated while he followed. Owen twisted the edge of her hair between her fingers as everyone sat in complete and er silence.

Then Emmy began to talk.

"Owen," she whispered, getting the girl's attention. The two exchanged a glance before Owen nodded, standing to step out of the room. The second she left Emmy continued. "They're dead."

Jeff covered his mouth, gaze flicking towards the door. Everyone seemed taken aback, except for Jared who just nodded.

"'M not going to tell the whole story, James wouldn't want that, but I'll say a bit," Emmy pulled out her hair tie, letting her thick hair fall all around her face. No one could see her eyes anymore. "To start, they both worked under a Dutch rebellion. James knew this, piecing it together using things they said and other little bits. He never left his home, he was raised by books. All three of them lived out in the woods to keep their identities secret."

"James hasn't told me- or anyone I don't think- exactly what happened. All I know is what Ethan's told me. His moms- Jeltje and Maud- were either killed or died in the fire that burned down their house. Then there's a portion of missing information before James was rescued by his uncle and put into adoption. His uncle had to go into hiding too," Shane watched from where he sat as Emmy knotted her fingers together in her lap.

"He was 9 when Ethan's family adopted him, and from there he went to private school. Ethan's parents were told what the center knew, but they only knew what Uncle Jacob told them," Emmy sniffed, pushing her hair back from her face. Her face looked almost unchanged, except for the far-off gaze in her eyes. They were trained somewhere on her desk, and Shane couldn't help but feel she was looking dead at the porcelain rabbit propped on top.

About two minutes later, James, Owen, and Ethan walked back in. James had definitely cried, the spot under his eyes red and raw. Owen was on his back, arms hung over his shoulders. She would sometimes press against his cheeks with her hands, making him laugh and eventually pry her off.

Ethan looked relatively unfazed, but Emmy could tell he'd been worried. James never got upset.

Never.

The mood progressively got better from then on. Ian had moved away from Caddy to sit next to Emmy for a moment, whispering something to her no one else could hear. After a quick shake of her head, Ian rubbed a circle over her back before scooting back. His seat was then taken by Shane, who muttered something quietly that made Emmy laugh.

Ethan, now trying to lift everyone's spirits, held the piece of paper up and stood in front of everyone. "Now, after that uh…" he looked for a second at James. "- _yeah_. Let's do something not depressing! James helped me make this little tournament thingy for the game I bought so we can all play!" His enthusiasm had this way of making almost anyone join in. It seemed to work now as well as it ever had.

Everyone seemed to anonymously think that this was the best thing to do to put whatever had just happened behind them, so when Ethan began listing off the first matches, not a soul complained.

"The first group is… uhh… Luke and Jon," Ethan announced, moving from his spot in front of the tv to sit off the the side.

Luke rolled from where he was laying on his stomach to stand as Jon heaved himself up from his uncomfortable position of being half under a table. As Luke passed Ethan, he ruffled his hair, making Ethan swat his hands away playfully. Luke did a deep-chested chuckle as he sat next to Jon.

Emmy grabbed the tablet next to her and passed it up to Jon as Ethan looked at something else on the paper. "Okay, so each round will get progressively harder in song choice. Round one is one of the easiest- Reflection. Everyone has chance so we aren't playing this until 2 AM. Any questions?"

No one said anything.

The tournament started with everyone being a little careful, with not many people getting full combos. The only ones who did were Ethan, Emmy, Luke, and, to most people's surprise Shane. He said he'd been playing something like it earlier, so he had a bit of an advantage.

Round one thinned out the competition to Luke, Jared, Josh, Ethan, Mai, Wallid, Caddy, Shane, and James. Emmy had been left out of round one due to there being an odd number of people, but she destroyed James by getting a perfect score in round two- Wings of Piano.

Luke beat out Jared,Ethan beat Josh, Mai beat Wallid, and Shane beat Caddy, leaving those four to fight in the semi-finals. Emmy was left out again in round three, much to her dismay, since it was Yawning Lion, but she understood why.

By the time Luke and Ethan were up against each other, everyone was placing bets on who would win. Most said Luke since he'd gotten a 99.56 on the last song, beating out Ethan's 98.94, but Ethan barely managed to beat him by a margin of .08 on Entrance. Shane also beat Mai, who up to that point had done far better than both she and everyone else expected.

Shane was then forced to go against Emmy. Ethan had forgotten that this match would take place, so Emmy let Shane choose the song. He ended up choosing one not from the main albums- Knight of Firmament.

Emmy managed to get a perfect score once again, but Shane was only behind by .74 due to missing one of the slides. Emmy held out her hand for a handshake, and the two of them laughed.

Ethan had obviously planned for Emmy and him to face off. He'd chosen for the last match the one song Emmy hated with all her soul.

Run Lads Run.

It was the most repetitive and confusing song on the list, made even harder by the fact her vision was far more blurred than normal due to both staring at the screen too long and that she could only see out of one eye.

Ethan offered to start, and ended the round with a score of 98.07.

For that song, it was incredibly good.

Emmy let her eye focus on the screen before starting it up.

98.11.

She'd never gotten a higher score on that song, even before she'd lost half her vision. She couldn't help but cheer, nearly hitting Ethan upside the head in her excitement.

Behind her, Shane leaned next to PBG to whisper, "You know that national gaming convention being held in two months?"

PBG leaned back so they were leaning on each other's shoulders. "You mean the one we've never been to?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah I know what you're talking about. Why?"

Shane gestured towards Emmy and Ethan chatting in front of them. "You get free entrance if a member of your group can place in the top three in one of their tournaments."

"What?!" PBG yelled, moving back. Everyone else turned to look at him, but he just waved in dismissal. "The tickets to that thing are super expensive! How come they give them out for free?"

"I heard 'Free'. What are you two talking about?" Ian sat behind them, making both boys turn. PBG explained. "Oh yeah, I tried one year. It's _super_ hard."

Shane nodded, "There's a few categories. "Puzzle, FPS, Memory, etcetera. But in our case-" he gestured again at Ethan and Emmy. "-We have the rhythm one."

"Do you really think they could win?" Ian asked.

"It's less of a matter of _could they_ and more of a matter of _will they_. I'm not sure if they'd enter for us."

PBG tilted his head. "I'm pretty sure Emmy'd do it. She seems to like Normal Boots a lot."

"Yeah, and Ethan would probably enter for us."

All three of them looked at the two for a moment before PBG asked, "So do they have to officially be members of our clubs?"

"I'm pretty sure," Shane sighed, crossing his arms. "We could check, I guess."

Ian just shrugged. "Sounds like too much effort. I know you-" he pointed at Shane, "-don't like adding people to your team, cough-cough-Hana, but i'm pretty sure Luke and Jimmy are already trying to drag Ethan on board sooo…" Ian stood up, walking over to tap Luke on the shoulder and whisper something to him.

Shane and PBG turned to look at each other again. "So?" PBG whispered. "What do you think? You're the vote here."

Shane looked at Emmy. She was talking with pretty much all the club members circled around Mai's chair. She looked like she belonged.

"She's been through hell and back that's for goddamn sure," Shane sighed again, his gaze flickering around the group. "I think a bit of a family would be good for her."

PBG chuckled, "I had a feeling you'd say yes." He stood up, moving to grab Jon and Jared, the two oldest members of the club aside from PBG himself. When he brought them back to Shane, he explained what their plan was.

"I don't see anything wrong with it," Jared shrugged. He murmured something after it before continuing, "She's pretty cool. Balances out the crazy."

"Yeah, I think it's a good idea," Jon smiled, looking around Jared towards the group.

"So," PBG started. "Do we say yes?"

"Yeah."

"Mmhmm"

Shane took a moment before saying, "Sounds good."

"Uhh…" Emmy was surrounded on all sides by Jon, Jared, Shane, and PBG. Behind them stood Paul, Nick, and Josh, the first two each holding phones up to their ears on calls with Jirard and Satch respectively.

"Is that a no?" PBG looked anxious at her lack of response, shifting his torso backwards a smidge.

Emmy kept looking around as if it was all some weird prank and she was just not picking up on it. "I just… umm… what the fuck is a 'Normal Boots'?"

Everyone in the room turned at the same time to look at her. She shrunk in on herself at their confused glares. "You…" Jon muttered.

"Am I supposed to know?" Emmy questioned, making everyone around her look at each other.

Suddenly Shane said, "She wouldn't know, would she. She's been gone."

A collective "Oh" came from everyone in the room followed by PBG's embarrassed chuckle.

"Normal Boots is a club. _Our_ club," he gestured at the six other people around him. "We play video games in tournaments. They-" he pointed behind him where Ethan stood with the other six boys. "Are Hidden Block. Our competition."

Emmy sat in a second of silence before whispering, "The jackets make sense now."

Laughter rose up around her, making her shrink in even further, if that was possible.

Shane placed his hand on her shoulder to catch her attention. "Now that you know what you'd be getting into- what do you say?"

"Uhm, sure, why not. Sounds fun," she smiled, and a loud cheer came out of the phone in Nick's hands.

"WELCOME TO THE TEAM!" Jirard yelled, making Nick cover his ear and lean away from it. "I'LL MAKE SURE YOU GET A JACKET I SWEAR!"

Jon laughed. "Well wasn't that a shock."

"Hey, at least Shane doesn't have to worry over Emmy only liking us _because_ of our club," Paul poked Shane multiple times in the shoulder, and while Emmy wanted to ask why, she kept her mouth shut.

Ethan suddenly pushed his way between Jared and PBG to jump up to hug her around the neck. His weight dragged her down so she was half leaning over. Ethan's feet barely grazed the ground. He then let go, looking her in the eyes and pushing his index finger against her nose. "Guess we're enemies now, huh?"

"You forget, I'm still your president," Emmy teased, standing herself back upright. "Plus, the only thing we're fighting for is a placement, so we aren't really fighting each other."

Ethan chuckled before craning his neck to look at PBG. "This thing isn't a tournament, right?"

"Highest score out of two chances," Ian answered, turning around his phone to show Ethan the instructions. "So you could both definitely win."

"Good," Ethan sighed, Emmy leaning down to pick him up over her shoulder. "Emmy please."

Emmy just chuckled, stepping out from the crowd of people to throw Ethan halfway across the room onto one of the beds. "You're getting bags under your eyes again. You need sleep," she called out as Ethan sat back up.

"Wait, what?" Ethan pulled out his phone to look at his face. "Shit it wore off."

"What wore off?" Luke chuckled, the crowd of people moving around again. He sat on the arm of the couch closest to the bed Ethan was sat in.

Ethan looked like he regretted all of his life decisions in the moment. He did a choked chuckle before placing his phone face down on the bed. "The uh… the thing is… I-I kinda have- er, I use… JAMES!" he yelled, waving his brother over. "What's the word for _l'anti-cernes?_ "

James looked confused for a moment before laughing. "It's _concealer,_ Ethan."

"Oh, yeah," he turned to Luke. "That."

Luke looked kind of confused for a second. "You.. wait, you wear makeup?"

"Uhh… yes?" Ethan glanced at James, who'd sat on the edge of the bed. James nodded slightly. "Yes, makeup."

"Ian!" Luke called out, smiling. "Cm'ere!"

Ian stalked over. "What," he mumbled, crossing his arms.

"You were right, he does wear makeup," Luke pointed over to Ethan, who still looked a bit bewildered.

"I told you," Ian smiled, his eyes flickering between Ethan and Luke. "I have an eye for that kinda thing, I thought you knew this."

Luke raised his hands defensively. "Hey, I never doubted you- that was Caddy. I was just saying that I, personally, couldn't see anything."

"That just means he's good at it," Ian shrugged, sitting on the edge of the couch.

Before Ethan could speak up, Owen yelled from across the room, "Bitches! I'm sleepy! Here- pillows," before throwing a pillow at everyone in the room. James had to block the one heading straight for Ethan's face with his arm, leaving him vulnerable for Owen to throw one at him as well.

Emmy had already talked to stand in front of her mirror, where she was standing, just kinda staring at herself. Hana walked up next to her. "You okay?" she whispered, making Emmy glance over.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Emmy sighed, looking herself in the eyes. "It's just… contacts."

"Oh, you need to take out contacts? What's wrong with that?" Hana asked pushing her glasses up with her knuckle.

Emmy pulled on the blanket hung loosely around her shoulders so it looked more like a cape than anything else. "I use them to cover up the scar on my eye. So when I take them out…"

"Oh," Hana said again, following Emmy's gaze. "None of us care, I promise. I mean, we've had to deal with Caddy's leg wound he keep showing off for some reason," she chuckled faintly. "-Plus, we're about to sleep. Your eyes will be closed anyways."

Emmy just smiled. "I know, it just… kinda sucks," she turned and ran her hand down Hana's hair before patting her on the back. "You're sweet, you know that?"

Hana looked away sheepishly. "I try," she chuckled, placing her hand on Emmy's forearm. "You deserve some nice in your life right now."

The two stood for a minute before Emmy flashed a smile and walked out of the room, dropping her blanket behind her. Owen asked Hana where she was going, and when she said she was talking out her contacts, Owen stopped for a minute before running after her.

Emmy walked back in with her eyes half closed, Owen trailing behind her with her arm grasped tight to her forearm. Emmy led her to her bag before walking to grab her blanket. Owen pulled out a glasses case and pulled out a pair of large, round lensed glasses that she placed on her nose.

Talking to her bed, Emmy sat down, blanket still over her shoulders. Almost everyone had already moved to find a place to sleep aside from the small amount of guys who had gone to the one-person men's bathroom they had in the dorms in case some boy was visiting. It was two floors down, so they walked in quite a few minutes later.

It was Jeff, Jimmy, Shane and Jared, the first two walking in and immediately taking the two open spots on the back wall. Jared lust looked around before stepping around everyone on the floor to reach Mai, sitting down on the floor and shaking her shoulder so she'd scoot over.

Shane just looked around blankly. Ethan and James had taken Emmy's other bed, as always, while Owen and Emmy were at the other one. The couch had Ian and Luke sitting with their heads on opposite sides of the couch, Ian constantly kicking back Luke's legs when they'd stretch out and hit him somewhere in the ribs.

The floor was almost completely covered, aside from the small amount left for the door. Jon and Paul had also taken to sleep under the desks, and Caddy had placed the two armchair together where he was curled up in the middle. Owen, in her attempt to get Emmy to turn off the lights, noticed Shane standing stranded by the door, where he was staring at the TV stand like he might try and lay on top of that.

"Shane," Owen called out, stealing the blanket her and Emmy'd been sharing as she stood up. "Here," she shoved Emmy against the back wall, making the girl slap away her arm. "I'm small, I'll squeeze in somewhere. Kick her for me, won't ya?"

While Shane was still standing confused, Owen jumped over the people on the floor to make it to where Ethan and Shane were, crawling over the taller who was on the outside to lay in between them. Ethan just rolled over so she was facing his back, while James, who was already pretty much asleep, just draped his arm over her loosely.

Emmy, now far more awake due to the fact that Owen had just shoved her three feet into a wall, just shrugged and waved Shane over. She stood up at the same time, stepping over people so she was next to him. "I'll turn out the lights so you don't trip," Emmy muttered, rubbing her one good eye.

Shane saw now the scar that ran down her eye. It was incredibly eerie, so he chose not to stare, but it made her look almost… sad.

He stepped over the people carefully, reaching the bed and sitting down. Emmy leaned over Josh to reach the last blanket placed on her desk before turning off the lights. Everyone seemed to be either half asleep or already there, not making a noise when the lights turned off. Emmy slowly made her way across the room to where Shane had shifted to sit flush against the wall, leaving a bunch of room left on the bed.

"I don't care," Emmy whispered, fanning out the blanket across the bed. "I've had to share beds almost half this size with people I barely knew before- don't feel like you have to sit two miles away." With that she layed down, back to the wall, pulled the blanket up the her shoulders. "G'night."

Shane was still frozen against the wall, staring at the near-black silhouette of Emmy who was already falling asleep. He sat there for a few minutes, unsure of what he should do. He couldn't leave, he'd be caught if he went out at this hour, and if he was caught he'd have to rat out everyone here. There was no where else to sleep really, unless he felt like sharing the chairs with Caddy which didn't seem like it would be any better than what he had now, not to mention it'd be even less room.

So he just flopped down, facing the ceiling and tugged the blanket up to under his arms. It became apparent to him that he was far more tired than he originally had anticipated, and he quickly moved to turn on his side. He ended up facing the back of Emmy's head, who was already asleep at this point, seeing as she was breathing deeply.

Shane just closed his eyes, burying half his face into the pillow below his head. After a moment he whispered, "Goodnight," and fell asleep.

* * *

 **Arc 2 competed**

 **Initiating Arc 3 - Carnation of the Midnight Songbird**

 **Tracklist:**

 **Emmy and Ethan's solo was based on the cover of "Hit the Road Jack" by Casey Abrams and Haley Reinhart.**

 **watch?v=B4u_5MD2ISw**

 **I just changed the instruments, but this was the inspiration. There's a more professionally recorded one on spotify**

 **The music played in the rhythm game is all from the game Deemo by Rayark Games**

 **Sairai - Shinichi Kobayashi**

 **watch?v=wYeeNL22TLY**

 **Reflection (Mirror Night) - V.K.**

 **watch?v=lBiRs4wzIhI**

 **Yawning Lion - V.K**

 **watch?v=5WoPNsovrE4**

 **Entrance - Ice**

 **watch?v=dz4mldEOTm4**

 **Knight of Firmament - Eye XY feat. Yoneko (Originally from Cytus by Rayark Games)**

 **watch?v=0cNA1DOzSQQ**

 **Run Lads Run - KillerBlood**

 **watch?v=Di8-LKwCdBA**


	21. Chapter Twenty One - Ghosts

**Hauhduuiuibfiuhf ITS ASAGAO'S ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY WTF**

 **I JUST FINISHED ITS 11:52 GOTTA GO FAST TO UPLOAD**

 **Love you guys this chapter was hard to write yadayada HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASAGAO time to sleep in my NB jacket**

* * *

James woke up first, as usual. He was probably on of very few morning people not just between the friends sleeping in Emmy's room, but probably in the whole school.

Ethan didn't appreciate being woken up at the crack of dawn, normally choosing to stay up until the early hours of the morning and sleeping 'til noon instead. James, on the other hand, would much rather start his sleep cycle earlier so he could wake up and actually get stuff done.

That being said, he woke up rather late for the James standard. He didn't even know if he'd actually woken up yet since when he opened his eyes all he saw was black. But after trying to move his left arm, realizing it was pinned down, and then trying to move whatever was in front of his face, he realized it was, indeed, not the empty void of space, but instead someone's hair.

Owen's hair, to be exact.

James rolled her slowly onto her stomach from where she had been facing the wall. He didn't remember when she'd moved beds from the one she'd been sharing with Emmy, but he honestly wasn't surprised either.

Ethan had taken up half the bed, as normal, and while James would have usually ended up either crushing or being crushed by Ethan in the middle of the night, Owen had acted as some sort of human blockade.

James managed to weasel out of the blanket crumpled up between the three of them, soon realizing that Owen had also brought another one that he recognized as Emmy's bedspread along with her, and he'd managed to get his leg snared into that as well.

Once he'd stood up, he realized just how little floor room was left. Luke was half falling out of the couch, Ian appearing to have shoved his legs off in favor of his own. Caddy's chairs had separated a bit in the night, leaving one of his legs to get stuck between the two with his foot hitting the floor. It wasn't the injured foot, luckily.

James glanced around the wall dividing the beds to see Emmy's back turned to him. He stepped over Wallid, PBG, and Jimmy to stand next to her. Shane was on her other side, face half buried in a blanket, which explained why Owen had moved. The two were both kept well to themselves, aside from one of Emmy's legs that had been pulled from the blanket and was now crossed over both of Shane's ankles.

He felt bad, but he leaned down and gently shook her shoulder. She stirred, but made no move to open her eyes. She just turned her shoulder so she was kind of facing him. "Hey," James whispered, shifting down onto his knees so he didn't have to lean down anymore. When Emmy started moving like she'd get up, James just shh-ed her and pushed her shoulders back down. "No, no, don't move. I just wanted to know if you had groceries."

"Mmm," Emmy hummed, rolling back over. "Blue box, bottom shelf fridge."

"Thanks," James whispered, tugging the blanket back up her shoulders. He stood up with a stretch, almost falling back onto PBG as he did. He stepped over people again, walking to Emmy's desk to look for a hair brush.

Owen woke up second, mainly because of James. She actually woke up before he'd even spoken to Emmy, she'd just chosen to keep her head stuffed into the pillow for a bit longer.

She eventually did push up from where she was, stretching her arms out in the process. Ethan didn't appear to wake up from the jostling, just rolled slightly closer to the wall. Owen stood up from the bed, leaning backwards to help her spine, before tip toeing across the room.

James, while brushing his hair, noticed Owen in the side of the mirror moving up behind him. "How long have you been up?" James mumbled, Owen moving to sit in front of him on the desk's surface. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

Owen just shrugged, grabbing his hand that was holding the hairbrush and moving it towards her scalp in a brush-like movement. James took the hint and started slowly brushing out her hair, Owen closing her eyes and making a small hum. Her legs swung loosely in the open space between them and the floor.

"I'm gonna make breakfast," James whispered, taking some of Owen's hair into his hand to brush out a knot without pulling on her head. "You wanna help?"

"Doubt I'll be of much help," Owen muttered. "But I'll come join you and eat all the food you make."

James just quietly chuckled, putting the brush down on the desk. "You can make sure I cook it right," he joked, helping her jump down onto the floor. Owen still seemed drowsy, but she was awake enough to open the door, James making sure to grab one of the keys on Emmy's wall before following.

The dorm's kitchen was on the main floor, but no one really used it for much most of the time. It was fairly small too, so the students normally choose to use the public kitchen in the cafeteria instead.

There were two large refrigerators with stacks of boxes of food piled next to them as well. James pulled a blue one with Emmy's name on it from the bottom before grabbing an identical one from the fridge.

Owen was sitting on the counter,, and scooted over a bit to make room for the crates. She pried the top one, the non-refrigerated items, open before pulling out some basic things James would probably want. James was riffling through the bottom cabinets, pulling out some larger pans and pots.

"Ew," Owen commented, pulling out some wheat bread. It looked relatively fresh, as did everything else in the box. "How does she eat this shit?"

James just sighed, "Don't you have white bread somewhere?"

"Nialle does, we'll just take hers," Owen stood up, moving to tug one of the larger boxes out of the corner to pry off the top. "Her boyfriend or whatever he is makes a lot of food, but he only cooks here since the guy's dorm has the shittiest kitchen."

"Tell me about it," James grumbled, holding out his hand to take the two loafs of bread Owen handed him. She also dug through the fridge to pull out two glass milk jugs and one plastic one. The plastic one had a sticker with _West Erison_ printed on it. Owen made a chuckle before placing them on the counters.

"Do you know this guy?" Owen pointed to the sticker. James shook his head, turning on the sink to fill the pot with water. "He tackled me once."

James jolted, almost dropping the pot in the process. "Wait, what?! Why?"

"He thought I was a criminal," Owen shrugged, opening the jug. "I mean, I guess I _kinda_ was, just not the kind he thought I was."

James looked confused, but he just shook his head without a word. "So he's Nialle's boyfriend?"

"Kinda," Owen tilted her head. "They hang out a lot at least. He's pretty chill, I guess, but he doesn't really understand the whole 'Split the Room' thing me and Nialle do, so he sometimes messes with my stuff."

"Ahh," James placed the pot on the oven and started the ignition, making sure the water would boil before moving to plug in the toaster.

"I don't think you've seen my room, have you?" Owen realized, watching as James began untwisting the bag holding the bread. James seemed to think it over for a moment before shaking his head. "Hmm. Well, you can come help me with my project, and I'll pay you back with a movie or something. How's that?"

James began pulling apart the bread, separating the edge crusts away on a napkin before placing three into the preheated toaster. "Sounds cool, but only if I get to choose the movie."

"That depends on if you're any help with my project or not," Owen chuckled, reaching across his workplace to grab one of the edge pieces of bread. "You can be a bit distracting."

"What's that supposed to mean?" James laughed, bringing a bowl out from the cabinet to place in front of him. He wiggled his shoulders in a jokingly suggestive manner before Owen kicked him on the arm. "Okay! Sorry!"

Owen huffed, smiling at him before pushing off the counter to wander aimlessly around the room. James worked quickly, Owen being of very little help aside from disposing of the bread crusts and sometimes dumping out eggshells. She managed to sneak one of the boiled eggs off the plate and, even though she thought he didn't notice, he did.

He just honestly thought it was funny.

Meanwhile, in Emmy's dorm room, everyone was getting to that half-awake "I should get up but I don't wanna" phase. Eventually, after a bit, everyone hears a loud thunk before Jon was heard muttering curse words at the desk. At that moment a few other people decided to stand, most notably Caddy, who was sunk so deep into the chair crevasse that he had to push them apart to get out instead of climbing back on top.

Almost everyone had clambered out of bed by the time Ian slid off the couch. The only ones left in bed were a half asleep Ethan who everyone could see was just blankly staring at a wall at this point, Emmy, Shane, and Jared, who was buried so fa under a sleeping bag that Mai wasn't even 100% sure if he was there when she woke up.

Jimmy, while no one was looking, started taking photos that one could only possibly describe as blackmail of Emmy and Shane sleeping, before Hana stole his phone and refused to give it back until both of them woke up.

When one of them did wake up, it was Shane, who just kinda blankly sat there for a minute before sitting up. This, apparently, shook Emmy enough that she woke up too. Well, kinda. She just kinda made a noise and rolled slowly out of the bed, taking the blanket with her.

Jared was the last one up, emerging from a different sleeping bag than the one he'd started in. He didn't really get it either.

"I think…" Emmy mumbled through the blankets, making everyone turn, confused. She pulled her head free and said, "I think James made food downstairs, I don't know."

With that, about half the room ran out at once, leaving behind a few drowsy stragglers to catch up. No one really knew what to do with Ethan, so, since Emmy was in no state to carry him, Luke did it instead, Ethan just making weird purring noises as they walked out.

Shane helped Emmy climb off the floor, and guided her over to her desk since she was having trouble seeing. Her eyes were mostly closed, but she was able to grab her contacts as Shane turned around. Jared was being pulled up by Mai and the two left, leaving Ian, Paul, Nick Josh, and Caddy. Caddy was having some trouble walking, so Ian was half-heartedly dragging him up by the forearm and collar from where he'd tripped on the chair.

Paul and Josh were trying lazily to drag Nick, who'd sat down and refused to stand, to move out the door. Emmy finished putting in her contacts and just grabbed Shane's sleeve and dragged him out of the room.

The two walked down the hall in tired silence. Emmy was moving to tie her hair up into a bun, which she managed to do nearly perfectly even without a mirror. It made her look a bit more awake, but her overly wrinkled clothes begged to differ.

Shane was still drowsy, but he seemed to be fairing better than before. He definitely slept much more soundly than he'd expected. One of Emmy's hands was clamped into a fist that was holding onto the end of her shirt. When they made it to the stairs, Emmy mumbled out a, "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmhmm," Shane hummed, slowly stepping down the stairs. "You?"

Emmy just shrugged, staring at the wooden floor. "About as good as normal." The rest of their walk was mute, the only noise being Emmy's quiet chuckle when Shane missed the last step and stumbled a step.

The two walked in to see that most everyone had begun to actually wake up at this point. The talking was approaching normal talking standard, at least. They were all seated at one of two tables to the right of the doorway while James and Owen were at the itchen on the left.

Ethan laid his head down on the table with his head pulled back through the hole of his shirt so that it covered his face. He wasn't asleep, seeing as he was talking Jeff, but he didn't seem to like being so close to a window this early.

Emmy walked silently behind James and Owen, the former waiting for the last bit of egg to cook while Owen just ate bread crusts. "Nice," Emmy smiled, reaching forward to grab one of the pieces of toast. Her hand stopped short however, before she pulled it back and crossed her arms. "You outdid yourself. Where'd you get all the food?"

"Roommate," Owen mumbled through the bread in her mouth. She had her whole body propped up on her arms, legs dangling. She would sometimes push up and down on the counter as if doing pushups.

James had earbuds in, but turned to flash her a smile. Emmy could hear traces of swing music playing through them. He soon turned away, holding the two plates of eggs. Owen followed him with a stack of paper plates and a box of plastic silverware. Emmy grabbed the toast plate and followed.

Eryone seemed pretty hungry, everyone getting a plate of food quickly. Emmy grabbed a box of corn flakes from her food for herself, letting Jared and PBG eat some too. The volume of the group progressively got louder, and every girl who walked in to grab breakfast looked at them confused.

Then there was Nialle.

She walked in about half an hour into breakfast. She was fully dressed, hair done in a long brown braid that fell over her shoulder and to her hips. She had a loose-fitting sleeved dress with white tights on underneath.

West stood in the doorframe after following her. He stopped when he noticed the crowd however. His hair, long and dark blonde, fell over his eyebrows. He was also dressed, but more casually in a soft blue t-shirt, a white raincoat, and gray jeans that belled out at the bottom. He traced in dirt from his tennis shoes.

" _Owen,_ " Nialle hissed, catching the girl mid-conversation. "Where have you been?!"

Owen just frowned and, without turning around, replied, "Sleepover."

"Yeah, cool, I'm guessing you forgot about fixing _my_ desk chair that _you_ broke that you told me you'd have done by _yesterday?_!" Nialle scoffed, throwing her hands up exasperated. "I kinda _need that!_ "

West just stepped forward and muttered something to her. "No, honey, you don't need to do that for her, Nialle frowned, rolling her eyes.

"I'll do it later," Owen dismissed her by waving a forkful of egg. She turned her head around just to shove the fork into her mouth, chewing loud before Nialle stormed out with a disgusted huff.

West just looked at Owen with a lopsided, concerned smile. "I'll fix it for you," he muttered before stepping forward to grab a piece of toast Owen had held out for him. "Compliments to the chef," West chuckled, gesturing his hand with the bread towards James as he walked backwards from the room.

James look at the doorway he'd just left from confused. "How'd he…?"

"I don't know," Owen shrugged. "I wouldn't think to much about it. He knows a lot of stuff no one else does."

Eryone had gone back to talking at this point, seeing as everyone had shown up soon after Emmy and Shane had. Paul, Nick and Josh had begun to steal the other's food when they hadn't gotten any, Nick taking most of Ethan's while he was blanked out staring at a wall. James tried to make him move, but Ethan just stood up and splashed his face in the sink. He was fine after that.

Jon, Jared, Mai, Caddy, Wallid, and Continue? ended up having to leave just after finishing their food, whereas Jeff, PBG, Hana, and Luke had to leave a bit after. The rest of them sat in Emmy's room for a bit, Ian showing Ethan and Emmy some pictures that were taken at the tournament earlier that year. Emmy noted that Hana started the photos wearing just her school uniform, but near the end had one of their jackets on.

She'd have to ask about that later.

Ethan then ended up chatting to Shane a bit about something, while Owen and Jimmy sat on the couch wrapped in blankets, the former watching as he played Nokemon. James worked on picking up the room, Emmy joining in after looking at the photos. Ethan, after talking to Shane, stood up to carry his backpack that James had left.

The two then waved goodbye, Owen reminding James on the way out to come by her room to help her with her project later.

Shane, who Emmy had expected to leave, said he'd rather stay in the quiet room for a bit. Jirard had told him ahead of time that he'd be working with someone knew on some secret project, and he didn't really feel like walking in on whatever they were doing.

Ian was the same, knowing that Jeff had left alongside PBG and Hana since all three were going back to their room like they did sometimes. Hana, after beginning to date PBG, had become very good friends with Jeff in the process, seeing as the two boys were nearly inseparable. She played videogames with them a lot.

Owen just didn't want to go back to Nialle, which Emmy understood. Nialle was a workaholic, Owen wasn't. Nialle practically shoved homework down Owen's throat every time she walked in the room.

Jimmy just liked Emmy's blankets.

The five of them hung out for a while, watched a movie, helped with some light homework. Shane ended up curled up in the corner of Emmy's bed at one point, nose in a sketchbook while the other four played some board game Owen had dug out of Emmy's closet.

Jimmy left first, followed by Owen who said she had somewhere to be. Ian just took a blanket and sprawled out on the couch while Emmy filled out a homework packet.

Shane ended up falling asleep over his sketchbook, and woke up to find a blanket on his back, the lights turned off, Ian sleeping on a couch, and Emmy fiddling with something while spinning aimlessly in a chair.

Her back was to him, and Shane couldn't see her face since all light was too her back. But when she turned a bit farther to one side, he saw a reflection of polished metal in the setting sunlight drifting through the windows, the golden shine sending memories of a gunshot through his head.

Before he said a word, Emmy's arm fell, causing her to drop the metallic picture frame to the floor. The sound of glass cracking made a noise similar to that of dropping a pin in an empty opera house.

Quiet, yet loud enough that you could feel it in your bones.

Emmy sobbed before wiping her face with her sleeve, moving to pick up the frame carefully. The glass pieces fell off like snow into the carpet as she lifted it onto her desk. Hane watched her flip the frame around and pull the back holding the picture in place out. She pulled out some photo Shane couldn't see and placed it on a shelf hung above the desk.

The girl's head was turned still towards the shelf, but farther to the side. Shane could see the outlines of the rabbit before Emmy turned her gaze towards the floor.

"I'm sorry," Emmy whispered, her eyes flying towards Shane. "I never should have dragged you into this."

Shane sat shocked, realizing she must have known he was awake. Staring. "I-"

"No," Emmy spat, relling back after realizing what she'd said. She looked at him for a moment before turning back to the shelf. "You… why?"

"Huh?" Shane was still dazed, and didn't know if he'd missed part of the question.

Emmy pulled the photo back down. "Why me?" She spun around s quickly that papers on her desk fluttered to the ground. "Why wouldn't you let me die?!"

He voice was strong, yet still was quiet enough that Ian never woke.

"You…" Emmy's hands shook. "I just… I don't… understand…" she was choked by sobs. "You're too _nice to me!_ I don't deserve this! You! Anyone! I…" The photo in her hands tore slightly on the edge. "I ki- I… killed someone. I could've…" her voice fell near silent. "I could've saved a lot of people a lot of pain if I'd just… left you all alone."

Shane was completely stunned, Emmy seeming to forget he was there somewhere in her monologue. He sat still for a moment before standing. "I understand," Shane, voice low, took a step towards her.

"No," Emmy whispered.

"It's okay."

"No."

"Don't blame yourself."

Emmy's mouth opened but nothing came out.

"You forget," Shane was a foot away from her when he stopped. "I've been where you were. It's… hard to explain in normal terms but…" Shane realized that the photo had fallen once again, torn in two pieces. "Someone else made all the choices in my life. I don't know who, if it even is a _who_ , but…" he looked her dead in the eye. "I'm sure I don't have to explain.

Emmy clenched the fabric over her heart. After a moment she shook her head. "Do…" she seemed to think it over in her head. "Do you hear her sometimes?"

Shane stilled.

"I hear them," Emmy whispered, finally staring back at him. "Casper, Saniya… It's like… they aren't d-dead. Just…" Emmy sniffed. "Not themselves anymore."

Shane thought it over in his head. "I don't hear her, no," he whispered. "But I see her. In others. People like… Hana. And Saniya. And…" he leaned to pick up the photo. He pointed to Saniya's mother. "-her."

Emmy picked up the other half. There was Casper, Saniya's father, a woman Shane guessed was Emmy's mother. Saniya's arm was seen around Casper's middle. The tear divided him in half, separating Emmy and Saniya to the two pieces.

"I never thought of how hard it was to not say sorry," Emmy half-heartedly chuckled. Her finger ran over the seam splitting Casper. She deeply sighed. "I always thought you'd gotten over it. I envied that. I assumed that your sudden change wasn't about me. At least at first. I just thought you'd… I don't know, accepted it? So I decided to try and do that. I put on a front of being fine after they forced me out of my room. You guys were so welcoming of my return that I just assumed we were all acting like… like it never happened.

There was silence for a moment. Shane didn't know what to say. Then Emmy crumpled up the photo and threw it in the trash.

"Sometimes I think it never did," she whispered, sobbing. "But I-if that's th-the case… then why the fuck do I _miss them so goddamn much_?!"

Shane, without thinking, reached out to grab her shoulder. The sun had fallen below the window, casting a single ray of light over just Emmy's upper body. Shane was completely in shadow before stepping forward.

Emmy's hands were covering her face, long green sleeves catching her tears. Shane just stood still for a moment, processing what to do.

Without a word, he stepped forward and awkwardly wrapped his arms around her. "Shh."

Emmy's crying never stopped, but her body froze and she quieted for a moment before returning the hug. She buried her head in the thick fabric of the neck of his jacket, Shane making small noises in hopes of quieting her down.

"I know," he muttered into her hair. "I understand."

 _I understood_. Not a thing either of them thought they'd ever say, but exactly what needed to be said at that moment.

They stood like that for a while, until the moon cast a faint glow over the room, turning the two silent figures into ghosts in the white light.

* * *

 **Casper's legit named after Casper the Friendly Ghost it's official put it on the merchandise**


	22. Chapter Twenty Two - Rising Tides

**EXAMS ARE OVER THANK GOD**

 **I've been loaded with homework for the past month and a half due to us having our exams super spread out. They don't have final exams at the school I'm going to, just really big major projects, but I can handle projects. I had the English exam a while back, which didn't need much studying, but recently we had our Algebra EOC and our Science/Social Studies exams, and I was loaded with so much homework. I wrote this whenever I could, but even then it was only for a short time.**

 **This chapter and the next one that'll come out eventually will both be nice, cute ones with a sprinkle of foreshadowing due to there being a lot of dialogue between characters who have major plot points. Poor James he's like the center of everything wrong in life.**

 **I hope this is good? It's hard for me to tell if I went to fast, but eh.**

 **Love ya 3**

* * *

James remembers very specifically the day Ethan told him he was gay.

They were around 11 or 12, but James knows that Ethan had dragged him out of bed at 1 o'clock out into the woods near their house.

The two lived with Mr. and Mrs. Flipsen near the coast, where a forest led from the beach alongside the back fence of their yard. Ethan told him he had something to show him, and James followed as they climbed over the fence. Well, it was more of James heaving him over, but that's not the point.

It was in these woods that the two met every day after school. Ethan took his break in the day to wait in the woods for James to walk along the path home. James would sometimes convince him to go out to the beach when it was warm enough, normally letting Ethan sit on his shoulders while James wadded in the water.

They walked in the direction of the beach for a bit before Ethan veered right into the woods. James followed, the two walking in silence. Ethan was running his fingers along the phone so much that James could hear every time his finger clipped the edge of his case.

They eventually made it to the rocks overlooking the beach. It was a short cliff, probably only twice James's height, but it'd definitely hurt if you fell from it.

Ethan had sat with his legs dangling over the side, James following. James asked of something was wrong. Ethan said to just look at the sky.

The sky was unusually dark. The stars were blocked by clouds, and only faint moonlight would sometimes fall on the water. It made the surface look like marble.

While James had his eyes trained on the horizon, Ethan whispered the confession. That he'd been dating one of James's friends. Leo. A dude.

James just laughed, telling Ethan he'd already figured. _I mean, you make heart-eyes at male models all the time. What, did you think I didn't notice? We sleep in the same room, doofus._

Ethan smiled then. Not one of his over energetic constantly plastered smiles that were there just cause he's _Ethan,_ but a genuinely happy one.

He told him some other things about himself too.

He didn't smile this time.

James had always assumed that Ethan's sexuality was pretty easy to read, unlike his own which was something he still wasn't quite sure on. So it confused him a bit when Caddy blurt out at breakfast the day after the sleep over, "Ethan's gay, right?"

"Uhm… yeah?" James chuckled confused. "It's kinda obvious."

Ian and Jimmy muttered a simultaneous "Knew it," before Wallid chimed in about something to do with a 'Gaydar' or whatever.

Caddy just shrugged. "Just wanted to make sure, I guess. I mean, we all assumed he was, but it seems kinda rude just to be like 'He's definitely gay' when we don't know for sure."

Owen, surprisingly, was just listening in silence. James knew she liked to jump into basically every conversation to do with Ethan since the two were pretty close, but she wasn't even really paying attention. James could tell she was listening since her body was facing inwards towards the group, but her head was turned towards the back window.

He'd learned that Owen, due to her not really liking to talk when it's not necessary (which makes her come off as blunt sometimes but he didn't care), she tended to use very specific body language in conversations so you knew what to do.

This was a you-guys-forgot-something-and-don't-ask-me-what-cause-I-won't-tell-you move. Her face was lower than when she's just thinking, and she looked like she was waiting for someone to say something.

James wasn't sure what, though.

The Ethan conversation quickly died off when the boy pushed into the cafeteria. He had a blue hoodie on with the hood pulled up over his hair. He didn't look overly sick or tired, so it most likely was a hair issue.

Ethan sat at the end of the table next to Luke, who quickly started a quiet conversation with him.

James was absentmindedly drinking water, sometimes glancing at Owen to try and figure out what she was so mad about, when Emmy entered the cafeteria.

She had a blanket pulled around her shoulders like a cape. Shane, for some unknown reason, was walking behind her while holding the end of the blanket off the ground. The two were laughing, Emmy being so distracted that the cafeteria door ended up swinging back and knocking Shane sideways.

She caught his stumble by grasping onto the blanket closer to him so he just kinda swung out and back onto his feet. The two were still laughing loud enough for James to hear. Shane ended up stealing the blanket and throwing it onto one of the table's empty seats.

"How _dare_ thee?!" Emmy joked,smacking him on the arm. "Don't steal from the queen."

"Don't knock your knight out with a door then," Shane muttered, sitting in the seat next to where he'd dumped the blanket.

Ian coughed to grab their attention. "So do you feel like explaining why you two were asleep on the floor or…?"

Emmy just chuckled half-heartedly. "Long story."

At this point Owen was desperately staring at all three of them as if one of them would say something she was waiting to hear. She heaved a heavy sigh, letting her head drop to the table, before suddenly standing up with her hands held defensively up in the air.

She turned on her heel, muttering quietly as she stormed off.

"Wh-" Ethan turned his head in the direction she'd gone. "What's up with her?"

James shrugged, watching as she pushed through the back door of the building. His eyes remained tracked on the door for a moment before he slowly stood up. I'll… go check on her, I guess."

"What'd we forget this time?" Emmy mumbled, pulling out her phone. "I have literally every event she's ever gotten pissy about on my calendar so…" She was quiet for a moment while she struggled to read through her phone. Then she froze. "Uh… oops."

"What?" James kneeled back onto the seat so he'd be a bit closer. Emmy tapped something and turned the phone around.

 **Saved Events:**

 **Meeting w/ Mat-Pat**

 **Owen's birthday**

"Oh god," James groaned, running his hands down his face. "What did I do to deserve this…"

Ethan snatched the phone from Emmy's hands. "The fuck, you call him _Matpa-_ oh shit." Ethan glanced up at his brother with the most 'you-know-what-the-fuck-day-it-is' face, to which James just responded by sprawling his upper half over a large portion of the table.

"I have died," James muttered, not moving an inch. Emmy just leaned her face around to look him in the eyes. James just turned his head away.

After a few seconds of silence, Jimmy practically yelled, "I'm so confused!"

A bunch of agreeing murmurs followed the statement, but James remained silent. His face was melted onto the surface of the table, and he looked like he would never move again. Everyone looked at Ethan to explain, but he was staring at James too hard for him to notice.

He leaned across the space between them on the table to jostle his shoulder. "...James?"

James didn't respond.

"Come on, it's not that big of a deal, I swear."

"I…" James finally whispered, pushing himself up onto his arms. His eyes tracked his hands as they folded onto the table. "Can't".

Emmy was staring as Ethan in hopes that he'd give her some signal, and he just mouthed "Owen".

She looked between James and Ethan before responding, "You mean…?"

"Yeah," Ethan looked back at him. "He swore on it," the tone of his voice in the last line and the fact he leaned towards his brother to say it implied who it was directed at.

Emmy just sighed, standing up. "I know you're too much of a _schlappschwanz_ to do this yourself, so I'm going to be the gracious person that I am and drag you around until you find her," as she spoke, she managed to pull him out of his seat and onto the floor, where she proceeded to tug him along the tile towards the back door. Ethan came to help (as much as he could, at least) by mushing on James's shoes in the direction she was walking.

James didn't really make a move to escape. That being said, he wasn't moving all that much in general, just kinda letting himself be dragged around and out the door where Emmy proceed to pick him up over her shoulder more and slowly walk away from the building.

The table had no clue what was going on, and just started muttering to each other. "Is that what I think it's about?" Luke half-whispered, getting a collective response of "I hope so"s and "Sure seems like it"s.

The table ended up having to move when the tables had to be moved out of the way to clean the floors before school the next day. The six split off, Ian and Jeff heading back to the dorms, Wallid walking towards Poppy Hall, Jimmy and Caddy taking the path towards the field, and Luke aimlessly walking on the path that circled the whole school.

He had time to kill before he was allowed to use the recording booth. PBG and Jon used it earlier on Sundays, and it closed after they were done. As he walked, a familiar faced passed him as the kid jogged past. Luke didn't remember his name, but he'd shown up at breakfast the day before with the really loud chick.

He had incredibly baggy track clothes on that flowed as he went by. The kid seemed out of it, his ears plugged with ear buds that trailed into a pocket.

Luke remembered suddenly about listening to music as he walked, and quickly moved to pull his headphones from his pockets. Jimmy had gotten a hold of them one night while working on an essay, and in his boredom had wrapped the wires in a variety of colorful tapes. Luke had left it, not really minding the change from the normal white color.

He put his music on shuffle, not really minding what he listened to as long as it was something. His feet walked in time with the beat, causing his pace to vary greatly. After a while the same kid passed him, meaning he'd managed to run around the whole campus border in a fairly short amount of time.

As he walked, Luke turned to see what was happening on the grass. Some smaller groups were outside, either sitting out on the lawn or running around. A group of girls were struggling to read a textbook as one of them rambled loud enough for Luke to hear through his earbuds. The boy Luke had seen running at first had now stopped with a group of other boys wearing similar clothing.

He was leaning against the wall as he pointed across the length of the field before clapping his hands. The group quickly dismissed in Luke's direction as one of the girls from the study group jogged up to West. Her hair, a long, dark brown braid, swung like a pendulum as she leaned on the wall next to him.

Luke had walked too far down the path to see them now, and the track team was jogging past him, obstructing his view. By the time they'd past, he was on the portion of sidewalk bordering the place the outdoor stage had been. In it's place now sat folded tables and stacked chairs, a line of trashcans along the wall of the girl's dorm.

He saw a hunched figure sat with their back to the path, back leaning against some of the tables. A hood was pulled over their head, but Luke could see the glow of a cell phone from where he was.

Luke slowed down when he heard the kid mutter something, recognizing the tone. He snuck around the rubble to look.

Owen, identified clearly by her eyes, had her mouth obstructed by a cloth handkerchief. On it was some printed symbol Luke couldn't read, and next to her feet sat a bag. She must've heard him, cause she looked up for a second before sighing.

"Sorry, didn't mean for you to notice," Luke apologized, leaning down to sit next to her. Owen tugged the bandana of her face and around her neck, and just shrugged. "Not much for talking right now, huh?"

Owen sighed again, hand drifting to fiddle with the handles of her bag. It reminded Luke almost of Ethan's violin case that he'd seen when he met him, except Owen's bag had a sense of order. Flag stickers took up one side, some stray others on the opposite. Seeing as it was some sort of duffel bag, the larger portion the zipper ran across was surprisingly bare. There was some sort of naval sticker placed next to an iPlay sticker and a broad, loopy signature.

"Today's a hard day," Owen muttered, her thumb running across the naval sticker all the way past the signature. "It doesn't help that none of them remembered."

Luke gave her shoulder a nudge. "Oh they figured it out, just after you left. I think James is having a panic attack as he's being drug around school to find you," Luke chuckled at the image in his head, suddenly realizing he still had his headphones on, just silenced. He pulled them around his neck.

"It's not just that, but that's good, I guess," Owen shrugged again, moving her hand so she could fold her arms. "I never liked my birthday all that much. It comes at too chaotic of a time."

Luke thought it over and hummed in agreement. He tried to think of something to reply with, but couldn't come up with anything. He looked down at his phone to check the time, noticing that his time to use the recording booth was coming up shortly. He pushed up off the ground, Owen's eyes following him as her head stayed in the same position.

Owen gave him a wave, pulling her bandana back over her mouth. Before she could look back at her phone, she heard Luke, the smile in his voice apparent, say, "Happy birthday." As he turned away, Owen glanced up to see him crane his neck around. "Hope your day gets better! Oh, and you should probably find James soon. I've seen Emmy drag people around, she's not what I'd call gentle!"

With that the boy pulled his headphones back over his ears, quickly turning his music back on. Owen watched him go, her faint smile hidden under the cloth. "Damn, poor Ethan," she muttered, standing up and slinging her bag over her shoulder. "That kid'll be hard."

She paced away in the opposite direction, pushing into the girl's dorm through the heavy back door and disappearing inside.

James had never dated anyone. Ever. Which came in sharp contrast to the amount of guys Ethan had apparently dated behind his back.

Ethan tried to help him ask Owen out on multiple occasions, but James just had to keep denying he liked her at all. He kinda had to. He was pretty sure Owen didn't like him like that, since she was always so brash about… well, everything.

Emmy tried to reassure him, telling him as all three hauled around the school, "Hey, it's not like I'm some sort of experienced lover either, seeing as everyone I've had a crush either didn't lean that way, didn't like me that way in general, or… uh… died."

James noticed that Emmy seemed far less upset over Saniya that day, but that may of just been his hyper awareness towards everything but Owen.

 _Owen_.

It was hard to pin what was what made James like her so much. He didn't even know if it was a crutch, but Ethan said that _Unhealthy Obsession_ meant basically the same thing. James didn't even get along very well with most other people like her. He didn't normally like brash, unresponsive, doesn't-say-what's-wrong kind of people. That's what made him and Emmy good friends- she was normally gentle when handling heavy details, could be heavily emotional, and it was easy to tell what was wrong if she didn't end up telling you straight away.

But James and Owen clicked almost instantly. After meeting her through Ethan, who became her friend through being a fellow violinist, he became what he could only describe as intrigued.

They shared a similar lack of their motherly figures in parts of their life, James due to his adoptive mother being at work pretty much only when he was home, and Owen because her mother was in the Korean Navy.

Owen told him tales of how she'd travelled the world, joined a parkour group in Los Angeles, learned graffiti from a man who would come to be a legend in the community while visiting Tokyo, even going on private jets with extravagant millionaires who her father knew from high school.

He listened to her tell of her father's job, a highly payed photographer for major events. He was in charge of photographing for international news coverage, or even just for rich customers who wanted a highly trained photographer.

His job payed plenty enough, so he let his wife, Owen's mother, sign up to the military when her daughter was only around three years old. James remembered how, on her birthday they celebrated on tour, she told him late at night how the last time her mother came back was just before Owen's birthday. She left them on that day, which was why Owen wasn't so stoked over it being that day again.

She watched the Korean news and her father's messages for a sign that she was coming home soon, but for 5 years nothing came. It remained that way still now.

James tried to keep his attention on what Ethan was saying but he couldn't. Not now.

He kept thinking back to three months prior.

" _You have to tell her you like her by her birthday."_

" _And what if I don't?"_

" _Then I'll do it for you."_

Ethan never took threats lightly. James knew that if he didn't tell her himself, Ethan would call her up at 12:00 in the morning just to announce it to her without James being able to do anything to stop him.

He didn't want that to be the way she knew.

But, if he was being honest, he didn't exactly know how he did either.

He was pulled out abruptly by a sharp sting in the wrist Emmy was dragging him by. "Ow! Emmy what th-"

"Happy birthday, freund!" Emmy yelled, tugging on James arm forward. His haze faded out to focus on Owen. She had the black hood that barely fit her pulled on, the hood flipped up. Her fume mask thing was tied around her wrist, but her graffiti bag was nowhere in sight.

"Happy anniversaire!" Ethan ran up to hug her. Owen pat him on the back. Ethan seemed to think something through before tilting his head. "Anniversary?"

"Birthday…" James sighed, pulling his arm free to slink over. He had to basically kneel down to hug her, but she followed by lightly bumping her head on his. "I'm so sorry, it honestly just slipped my mind."

Owen leaned back, leaving James to stand up and dust the dirt off his jeans. "I overreacted, it's fine," Owen muttered, pulling the hood off her head. "Dad just didn't respond to my texts today is all. It gave me some anxiety. I'm good now."

The four of them sat i silence for a moment, Owen shoving her hands deep into her pockets. The silence was cut short by James's quiet whisper, "Can we talk for a minute?"

Owen snapped her head up to him. "Huh?"

"Can we talk? On the field? Just for a minute," James tried to hide the shaking of his hands by wringing them together behind his back. "I have some stuff I need to get off my chest."

She looked at him for a moment before nodding her head. "You sure you're okay? If this is about forgetting my birthday then you don't ne-"

"No, no, it's something else…" James interrupted, smiling. "Don't worry, it's nothing you did."

 _It's everything you did._

James's eyes hovered on her for a moment before flipping to Ethan, who was giving him a toothy smile while silently clapping his hands. Emmy had moved behind his brother, and was giving him a soft near-smile, followed by a nod.

With that, James began walking, Owen following next to him. Emmy saw Owen say something to him, James's shoulders shaking in faint laughter. His back was hunched more than normal, and Owen stood up straight, and for a moment as they walked away, Emmy could've sworn they looked the same height.

Equals.

* * *

 **Owen and James gives me life. I've been yelling at my friend who made Owen like "JOWENS ABOUT TO HAPPEN" cause I'm so hype haha**

 **Also it's so hard to write Shane sometimes, but just think of him as being really loopy-tired, but not angry-tired, if that makes sense.**

 **For a few chapters there's possibly gonna be some more flashbacks between James and Ethan since neither really talk about their old home life. James thinks about it a lot tho.**

 **Also luke is gr8 i love okay bye**


	23. Chapter Twenty Three - Little Sailor

**GUYS IM SO PROUD MY SUMMARY FOR THIS IS "Confessions, Exposition, and calling up the Mortician"**

 **Ya'll are in for a ride holy shit**

 **I love this chapter a lot for once, it's just a good portrayal of how I want this series to be.**

 **Aside from that one really boring bit in the middle, it's just some blatant exposition of some stuff that needed to be thrown out there.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

James was fucking losing it. He didn't know what he was doing, he had no game plan, he was barely conscious at this point. The only grasp on reality he had was Owen's hair blowing into his hand and the feeling of his feet hitting the ground, which felt more like earthquakes than footsteps.

He didn't like stressful situations. He'd talked Ethan out of signing him as president and offering Emmy instead so he wouldn't have to go to meetings or really talk much at all. James was fine in a group, he felt at home leading the orchestra for a day or doing a class presentation. It was one-on-one scenarios that made him anxious.

James felt like his height made him intimidating and, thinking back to the Shane incident, that was probably true. It was because of this (and that he can't fit through standard door frames) that he constantly walked hunched down, enough that he seemed only slightly taller than Luke, the tallest member of the club he hang out with most.

But he'd never felt so much anxiety at once until that moment, which in turn made his back straighten out so he'd be as far away from his problems as he could. It was pretty easy to not look someone in the eye when they come up to just above your elbow.

The walk felt both like years and seconds, and even when he stopped, he refused to look down. Eventually Owen started poking him in the arm to get him to talk so he sighed and sat on the grass.

While sitting, the two were quite a bit closer in height, seeing as most of his height was in his legs while hers was in her upper body. She was staring at him impatiently, fidgeting with her hands.

James took a deep breath.

"Dude, you look like you're about to pass out," Owen deadpanned. "Are you 'bout to tell me you're fucking pregnant or…?"

"Wh-?!" James stuttered, crossing his arms. "Shut up, you know I don't like talking to people."

Owen just kept her expression the same before a subtle softness appeared in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

Without replying, James nodded. Owen didn't look swayed, but she leaned back onto her hands as an open invitation for him to speak.

After a beat of silence, James started. "Please don't get mad, okay?" Owen didn't move. "So I, uh, I don't know how to say this _fuck_ haha…" James ran his hand through his hair.

"Okay, you're not fine, you just said fuck, what's wrong?" Owen scooted closer, and James responded by jumping back an inch. Owen tensed and leaned back, but James didn't follow. "James, just tell me what's wrong."

James looked up to see Owen shifting to sit on her knees, her face confused. "I…" James whispered, sighing. "Do you… You mean a lot to m-me, you know that. I don't… You… agh…" he put his face in his hands. "Do you wanna get lunch some time?"

Owen was silent, so James looked through his fingers to see her. She looked agitated. "You've been stammering for 5 minutes about _lunch_?!"

"No! No It's not-! Good job James you fucked it all up!" he cried, grabbing at his hair. "Sorry, nevermind, it's not-"

"You're asking me out aren't you," Owen whispered, eyebrows crinkled.

James made a garbled sound of distress in response.

"James…" Owen muttered, James could hear her move closer on the ground. "James look at me." James didn't move. "MOVE YOUR DAMN HANDS!"

James jumped back, hands falling to his sides. Owen's face wasn't mad like he expected. It looked… sad? Hopeful? Confused? She was too hard to read.

"Am I right?" she whispered. "Were you trying to ask me out?"

Deep breath. "Y-yes," his voice was barely audible. Owen's face became even more blank, but James could see her eyes water slightly. She looked… shocked. "Sorry, is that-"

" _How_ …" she cut him off, hands drifting to his shoulders. James must have looked really confused, because before he could say another word she'd wrapped her arms around his neck in a suffocating hug. "How did you know what I needed to hear right now?"

"I…" James heard his voice muffled into her hair. He didn't think she was listening to anything he was saying, so he just returned the hug. He was pulled out of the haze by a small sob, to which he pulled away and saw tears on her face. "Owen?"

"My dad isn't talking to me today," she whispered, wiping her face with her sleeve. "He always tells me about mom on my birthday."

James ran his fingers through her hair, Owen leaning into his hand. "I'm… sorry I forgot your birthday. I feel really bad, I didn't even get you anything."

Owen chuckled, her nose crinkling as her lip pulled up. "What are you talking about? You asked me out to lunch right?" She chuckled at James's dazed expression, leaning forward to nuzzle his forehead. "That's plenty."

"You're quite, uh," James chuckled. "Touchy, right now."

"Shh.." Owen put her finger over his mouth. "Give me this, I need affection." Her chest shook with laughter, James following before he felt her place a kiss on his forehead. "You're silly, you know that?"

James could feel her hands tangle in his hair, nails running along his scalp. She was balancing on her shins so she had an inch on him at this point. "I try," he smiled, feeling Owen's breath on his face as she continued to laugh. She was leaned forward, relying on his shoulders for balance.

They sat laughing for a while, Owen slowly delving into hysterics. It was weird for James to watch since she hardly ever laughed that much, but he was more distracted by the fact her weight was slowly tipping him backwards.

"Uh, Owen?" he tried to get her attention, but her face was scrunched up into a smile and her laughter was deafening. "Owen please I'm falling!" he yelled, back suddenly crashing into the dirt. Owen of course, followed, landing half on the ground next to him, half still on his chest.

"Ow…" she huffed out, rolling over onto the ground. She had smudges of dirt on her face and flecks of grass in her hair. The two of them turned to look at the other before simultaneously breaking into laughter.

While laughing, James didn't feel Owen grab his hand and knot their fingers together.

Eventually James heard footsteps approaching, and opened his eyes to see Ethan standing over them. "I'm guessing it went well?" he smirked, to which James responded by grabbing one of his legs and pulling it out from under him. " _JAMES! PUTAIN DE MERDE! JE PLAISANTAIS!_ "*

" _Ta gueule_ ," James hissed back, shoving Ethan in the shoulder. "Why are you speaking French anyways?"

"So you take it more personally," Ethan coughed, slapping his brother on the side of the head. "You're such an ass."

"What are you two fighting about, my god," Emmy yelled, walking up and sitting between the two. "And I thought we were done with the french swearing, Ethan?"

Ethan grumbled, scooting over so she could lay down. "Just with Matthew."

"Oh shit, I forgot about that!" Emmy suddenly jumped back up. "Sorry guys, I have a meeting!" she yelled over her shoulder as she ran back the way she'd come. "Good job James! I'm proud of you!"

"Have fun with the dirt Ethan," James muttered, standing up. He tugged Owen up too, before she tugged on his arm as to signal she wanted to ride on his back. He leaned down and let her settle before standing up again.

Ethan just mocked him before yelling as his brother walked off, " _Va te faire cuire un oeuf!"_

"Planning on it!" James yelled back, turning around to see Ethan flipping him off as he stared at the sky.

"Fuck you too!" Owen called back, making Ethan lift his head up to scowl as James began jogging away.

Emmy showed up to Mr. Patrick's room 5 minutes early, her teacher looking up with an exasperated smile. "Hi Mat," she smiled, closing the door behind her.

"Why did I tell you about that," he teacher sighed, to which she responded with chuckling and a shoulder shrug. "Well, I managed to find the school's code on club jackets. Why don't we go over that."

"Sure," Emmy pulled up one of the chairs to sit on the opposite side of his desk.

Mr. Patrick filtered through one of his cabinets, pulling out two stapled sheets and placing them on the desk. "So, I know the current clubs hand-make their jackets to their liking, and so they're assured they fit dress code. Would you rather do that, or ship them in?"

"I believe James can sew, and Ethan and I are both a part of the other clubs, so we can get help from them."

"Sounds good. So, for the dress code. The collar must be low enough for the white shirt collar to be visible, and must fall below 1.5 inches of the top of the waistline. The colors must not be offensive in nature or have any secondary meaning someone meant to be interpreted as such. Any questions?" Emmy shook her head. "Okay, have you decided what colors you'd want then?"

"We're pretty sure black and white," Emmy leaned onto the desk, scanning over the paper which was in a font too small for her to read. Her lack of depth perception made reading small words impossible most of the time. "Since we're sponsored by the orchestra and all that."

"Speaking of that, would other students be allowed to enter the club if they weren't in the association?" he asked, writing notes on a sheet of paper.

Emmy leaned back in the chair. "Yeah, I think it'd be fine. As long as they had experience with instruments at an advanced stage, which I know a bunch of students here have. That applies to singers and stage crew members- they have to have worked at a high level before since we're professionally overseen."

"Okay, got it. Is there any specific name for the club or just IPLAY?" he asked, continuing to write in a list down the page.

"Oh, well… that's a legal issue. IPLAY is copyrighted, and while we might be helped by IPLAY, we aren't legally a branch under them, so…" Emmy thought it over. "One sec, I'll text Ethan, he'll have an idea."

She heard Mr. Patrick sigh as she pulled out her phone.

 **The Baguette Boy**

 **Ethan (2:12 pm)**

 **James is an ass and so is Owen**

 **Those two were a bad idea**

 **Everything smells like dirt**

 **[1 Image Attached]**

 **Emmy (2:17 pm)**

 **Well then get off the ground**

 **And what's with the picture of the cloud?**

 **Ethan (2:17 pm)**

 **It looked like a dick**

 **Like James**

 **Emmy (2:18)**

 **ETHAN**

 **IM IN A MEETING PLEASE**

 **Ethan (2:19)**

 **THEN WHY ARE YOU TEXTING ME?!**

 **Emmy (2:19)**

 **We need a club name**

 **Ethan (2:19)**

 **O**

 **Hairpins**

 **Emmy (2:20)**

 **Cool thnx**

 **Ethan (2:20)**

 **EMMY NO THT WAS A JOKE THATS STUIPD**

 **Emmy (2:20)**

 **Nope this is ur legacy**

"He said Hairpins," she turned off her phone, shoving it in her shirt pocket.

Mr. Patrick looked up from the paper. "Hairpins?"

"It's an orchestra thing. Crescendos next to decrescendos are called hairpins" she explained, phone continuing to go off in her pocket. The teacher blinked a few times before shrugging and writing 'Hairpins' along the top.

"Okay, now, you said in the basic club synopsis box that is was a Performance Club. How do you think we're gonna make that work?" he asked, grabbing a laptop from the desk next to him and moving it closer. "Would it be mostly school events?"

Emmy watched as he turned the screen around to show a list of school-hosted events. "That's what I assumed. The school always relied on outside performers for events, but if we had our own, say for the plays or as a band,that could work."

"I can also hunt for smaller gigs if you'd like? It would probably be weekend trips to the nearby mall, should you all be available."

"Sounds good. Anything else?"

"Mainly just club paperwork we need to go through," he pulled another stack of papers from the folder. "It shouldn't take too long."

'It shouldn't take too long' apparently translated to about an hour and a half of filling out club papers. Emmy went back to her room, grabbing a bag of cheese puffs for lunch and downing a bottle of water.

She worked for a while on her remaining homework, which she didn't like doing seeing as it was reading, but she remained focused. That is, until someone knocked on her door.

Pushing back from her desk, she walked over to the door, pulling it open to reveal Wallid with his hand half in the air. "Oh, uh, hi!"

"What's up?" she leaned on the doorframe, trying to hide as much of her tangled hair behind the wall as possible. "You leave something?"

"No, no! I just was wondering if you had a textbook I could borrow?" he chuckled nervously. "Mine kinda smells like syrup."

Emmy just thought over the reasoning behind _why_ his textbook would smell like syrup, but she eventually just nodded and gestured for him to walk in. "Sit down, I need to look for it first.

"Oh, okay," he plopped down on the side of her bed, Emmy digging through the stack of books. "It's the one made up of a bunch of scientific letters to people?"

"Oh, The Science Of textbook, got it."

They sat in silence, Emmy wondering why she of all people was the one he decided to come to for help. She eventually found it and pried it out, standing up to hand it to him. He took it before asking, "So how're Jessica and Harrison?"

"They're, uh, they're fine. Worried, of course, but after the court case they told me they trusted me," she shrugged, sitting down after realizing he wasn't moving. "Why?"

"Well, uh," he fixed his glasses, tapping his fingers slowly on the cover of the book. "I emailed them after we met. They didn't respond until after the fiasco. Turns out they're uh…" Wallid looked up at her. "They're having trouble with Saniya's family. They're dropping out of the contract."

Emmy blinked to process. "They… they're just leaving? What are they gonna do?"

"They aren't even just breaking off- that's the weird part," Wallid continued. "They're completely done. Her dad isn't in work anymore."

"And her mom?" Emmy whispered, turning to look at her trash. Two scraps of paper sat crumpled.

Wallid swallowed. "Apparently she's dead."

* * *

 ***AGH I ALMOST FORGOT TRANSLATIONS! I'm not gonna force y'all to look that up lol**

 **Ethan: "James! Fucking shit, man! I was joking!"**

 **James: "Shut up"**

 **Ethan: "Go fry an egg!" (Go fly a kite)**

 **GUYS IM SO FUCKING SORRY I MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE REWRITTEN SOME MAJOR PLOT POINTS OVER THE PAST 2 WEEKS**

 **SCHOOLS ALMOST OUT FINALLY, MY LAST WEEK IS NEXT WEEK! :DDDDD**

 **I'm honestly super into this story again though. I was kinda falling out of it due to a lack of ideas, but I think I'll finally be able to make something I'm proud of.**

 **Just prepare for some neck-breaking plot twists**

 **Luv you guys so much! It's weird but apparently I have the most word count in this fandom, so thanks for reading my fucking novel you guys lol**

 **See you soon!**


	24. Chapter Twenty Four - Welcome Mat

**I put Emmy through a lot of shit I'm so sorry**

 **Also this chapter's kiiiiiinda boring BUT HEY! I'M OUT FOR THE SUMMER fuckin finally**

 **Hope you enjoy anyways! And if not, don't worry, the next chapter is uh… it's gonna be a ride lemme tell you**

* * *

Emmy didn't like shock. It caused ripples in her body, and brought up things she wished she could forget.

Saniya's mom, Akara, supposedly committed suicide. They found her when the government invaded what they thought was an abandoned anti-government plotting facility. And it almost was, aside from Akara.

She was found alone in her office, gun wound on the side of her head. That's all Wallid knew, other than the fact they may find another outside cause for her death. The weapon used was not on sight, but in a note with her handwriting it described how she wanted someone to take her weapon.

Wallid eventually left after explaining, apologizing for the jarring news. Emmy said it wasn't his fault, and that she's glad she told him.

After she called up Fikri to see if he'd talk, but Saniya's dad never answered the phone. Emmy's parents didn't either.

Before she could get too lost in her thoughts, her phone buzzed. It was unknown number. Actually, more like 8 unknown numbers. And Shane.

 **I think I added Emmy to the group chat**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **You did**

 **:D I'm guessing you don't have all our number's right?**

 **Shane ?**

 **Except mine of course**

" **of course"**

 **Shane ?**

 **How the hell do you think we got her number in the first place Paul**

 _ ***Contact 'Paul' Created***_

 **Paul**

 **i'm just saying that could be taken the wrong way**

 **Guys please, first impressions**

 **I'm Satch**

 _ ***Contact 'Satch' Created***_

 **I'm Jirard! :3**

 _ ***Contact 'Jirard :3' Created***_

 **Jared Knabenbauer at your service**

 _ ***Contact 'Jared Knabenbauer' Created***_

 **I'm Jon**

 _ ***Contact 'Jon' Created***_

 **Jon**

 **Oh are we doing last names?**

 **Jirard :3**

 **I guess? Mine's Khalil**

 _ ***'Jirard :3' renamed to 'Jirard Khalil'***_

 **Jon**

 **Jon Jafari**

 _ ***'Jon' renamed to 'Jon Jafari'**_

 **Shane ?**

 **Do you have mine**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **No**

 **Shane ?**

 **Gill**

 _ ***'Shane ?' renamed to 'Shane Gill'***_

 **Satch**

 **Drakes**

 **Paul**

 **Ugh fine Ritchey**

 **Jared Knabenbauer**

' **Ugh fine' what's that supposed to mean**

 _ ***'Paul' renamed to 'Paul Ritchey'**_

 **Paul Ritchey**

 **None of your business sparkle boy**

 **Josh Henderson**

 **Nick Murphy**

 _ ***Contact 'Josh Henderson' Created***_

 _ ***Contact 'Nick Murphy' Created***_

 **Wait what's going on**

 **Why are we all saying our names**

 **Satch Drakes**

 **Jirard added Emmy to the group chat**

 **O**

 **It's PBG :)**

 _ ***Contact PBG Created***_

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **Cool thnx**

 **My full names Emmy Wadetin btw**

 **Nick Murphy**

 **any specific reason aside frm her being in the club for adding her rn**

 **Jared Knabenbauer**

 **We should probably tell her some things about the club other than "We play video games" I would assume**

 **Like when we have club meetings and mini tournaments and stuff**

 **Satch Drakes**

 **Well we have club meetings on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays unless theres an event or something of the sort.**

 **Earlier this year we had our big tournament against Hidden Block**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **Oh so ur rivals?**

 **PBG**

 **Yep**

 **Jon Jafari**

 **Me and Peebs founded the club**

 **PBG**

 **Except ur nvr around anymor**

 **._.**

 **Jon Jafari**

 **Shut up you know drama is moe important**

 **PBG**

 **I'm offended**

 **Why are you two fighting**

 **And who's the unknown number?**

 **Jirard Khalil**

 **Emmy**

 **Nick Murphy**

 **Emmy W.**

 **Oh! Hi Emmy!**

 **It's Hana Mizuno**

 **(Contact 'Hana Mizuno' Created)**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **Hi**

 **Can i just ask a few q?**

 **Jirard Khalil**

 **Go ahead!**

 **PBG**

 **Sure**

 **Paul Ritchey**

 **Oo qna time**

 **Jared Knabenbauer**

 **Hit us**

 **Jon Jafari**

 **(with your best shot)**

 **Jared Knabenbauer**

 **Jon**

 **Jon Jafari**

 **Jared**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **1\. Why 'normal boots'**

 **Shane Gill**

 **You guys wanna explain that one**

 **PBG**

 **Funny story haha**

 **Josh Henderson**

 **You'll learn soon**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **Well thats hella ominous but oay**

 **2\. Tell me about the thing im supposed to do for you guys**

 **Satch Drakes**

 **I'll explain**

 **Basically, we know of a really expensive convention held in this area annually. We've tried to win tickets in the video game tournaments they hold where they let someone play to win tickets for their groups. We're all good at the video games we like, but either the games we play aren't in the tournaments or we're going up against people a league ahead of us**

 **It's mostly because we don't train on an individual game except for the ones we do for the tournament earlier this year, but some of us don't even play a game in general**

 **Paul Ritchey**

 **That's just you Satch**

 **Satch Drakes**

 **But since you're really good at one game, rhythm games, we feel we have a higher chance than one of us competing**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **K makes sense**

 **But what about Ethan? Only one of us can win**

 **PBG**

 **Its just whichever team wins thru their rep**

 **Satch Drakes**

 **I mean, you wouldn't happen to know anyone who can play in any of the remaining categories would you?**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **I might, what are they?**

 **A shit ton of the orchestra players play video games**

 **We even had a whole event where we just played video game music**

 **Jirard Khalil**

 **:OO COOL DO YOU HAVE VIDEOS**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **James does, I'll get him to send me them**

 **Satch Drakes**

 **I know there's racing, memory, rhythm, shooter, platformer, and fighter. Someone told me there was a limited place kaizo and puzzle to avoid time issues, but I don't know how someone enters**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **Wait what's kaizo**

 **Jon Jafari**

 **Ever hear of asshole mario**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **Owen talked about it once**

 **What is it?**

 **Jirard Khalil**

 **They basically ROM hack platformers to make them insanely difficult to the point you require muscle memory**

 **They take a lot of effort**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **Wait so how would they make it a tournament?**

 **Satch Drakes**

 **I'm not totally sure, but I think they basically make a fairly short level, at least in terms of kaizo, and the competitors have to play through it as fast as possible**

 **It's supposed to be the hardest one**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **Uhhh**

 **Shane Gill**

 **Theres no fucking way you know someone who can do that**

 **I'll believe some insane shit but not that**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **I dont know! Owen talks about it a bunch**

 **I'll ask her brb**

 **Spraycan**

 **Emmy (6:39 pm)**

 **Owen**

 **Question**

 **Owen (6:39)**

 **wat**

 **Emmy (6:39)**

 **You ever play a kaizo game**

 **Owen (6:40)**

 **naw**

 **west plays them in our room and let me try once is all**

 **Emmy (6:40)**

 **Is west any good?**

 **Owen (6:41)**

 **unnaturally good**

 **but i guess 'unnatural' applies to anyone who plas these games tbh**

 **he says his roommates better tho**

 **Emmy (6:42)**

 **Do you have West's number?**

 **Owen (6:42)**

 **Nialle does I'll get it from her**

 **Emmy (6:42)**

 **K thanks**

 **Also hows James**

 **Owen (6:43)**

 **I'm good, thanks! :-) -J**

 **Emmy (6:43)**

 **You good with making the jackets?**

 **Owen (6:43)**

 **Yeah :D**

 **Emmy (6:43)**

 **K ill let u two make out now bye**

 **Owen (6:43)**

 **wow thnx mom**

 **nb chat**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **Apparently it's West and his roommate who can actually play**

 **She gave me his number you want me to talk to him**

 **PBG**

 **West plays them?**

 **I didn't think he played video games**

 **That's what he told the soccer team**

 **He didn't wanna play games with us**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **Oh**

 **Idk ill go ask him**

 **(Contact 'West' Created)**

 **Emmy (6:45)**

 **Hello?**

 **West (6:45)**

 **Who is this**

 **Emmy (6:45)**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **West (6:46)**

 **Oh, I thought you were someone else for a second**

 **How did you get my number?**

 **Emmy (6:46)**

 **Owen got it through Nialle**

 **West (6:46)**

 **Oh**

 **Any reason for texting me?**

 **Emmy (6:46)**

 **A question actually**

 **Do you play kaizo games?**

 **West (6:47)**

 **Yes**

 **Why?**

 **Emmy (6:47)**

 **How good are you?**

 **West (6:47)**

 **My question first**

 **Emmy (6:48)**

 **Normal Boots wants to know if you'd like to play for them**

 **Emmy (6:50)**

 **West?**

 **West (6:50)**

 **Yeah, sorry, roommate just yelling at me**

 **Are you talking to them now?**

 **Emmy (6:50)**

 **In a chat yes**

 **West (6:50)**

 **Tell them maybe**

 **I'm guessing it's for the convention tickets? The one you and Ethan are playing for?**

 **I need to see if I'm free to play in a tournament that weekend**

 **If I am then yes**

 **Emmy (6:51)**

 **Oh! Thanks!**

 **And how'd you know me and Ethan were playing?**

 **West (6:52)**

 **Owen is Nialle's roommate**

 **Nialle and I study together, so she told me then**

 **Emmy (6:52)**

 **But you and her are in separate grades?**

 **West (6:52)**

 **Oh, not school subjects**

 **Things like asttrology and physics**

 **Emmy (6:53)**

 **Makes sense**

 **Thanks btw**

 **You seem pretty chill**

 **At least based on what Owen's told me**

 **West (6:54)**

 **Aww thanks! I try**

 **Have a good night!**

 **Emmy (6:54)**

 **Good night**

 **Normal Boots Chat**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **West said yes if he's free that weekend**

 **Satch Drakes**

 **Copacetic**

 **He's in my class, I'll see if I can talk to him about it tomorrow**

 **Shane Gill**

 **Wait do we have to add** _ **another**_ **person to the club**

 **Because my vote is no**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **I doubt it**

 **West seems preoccupied in his bubble**

 **Shane Gill**

 **Good**

 **Jirard Khalil**

 **What about his roommate?**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **I'm not sure**

 **I didn't feel like asking since apparently they were arguing**

 **Jirard Khalil**

 **Oh**

 **Do you know his roommate's name?**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **Owen probably does, but I don't want to text her right now**

 **Hana Mizuno**

 **If you want I can ask her in class, so we don't have to confront West about it?**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **That'd be great!**

 **I forgot you were there for a second haha**

 **Hana Mizuno**

 **Me and PBG are in the same room, but he just ran off for a second so I'm using my phone**

 **And I'm pretty sure Continue just ran down the hall so they're gone too**

 **Emmy Wadetin**

 **Well I'll let the rest of you do what you need**

 **I need to go do something anyway**

 **Bye yall**

 **Satch Drakes**

 **Have fun**

 **Jirard Khalil**

 **BYE!**

 **Hana Mizuno**

 **Bye Emmy**

 **Shane Gill**

 **Bye**

Emmy turned off her phone and placed it face down on her desk. Her distraction gone, she ran her hands through her hair. Her world felt like it was falling apart at the seams, like too many bad events were colliding at once.

Everything was moving too fast. She just wanted to curl up and let it just soak in, but she learned her lesson after trying that last time. She needed something, anything, to help her settle her thoughts.

Then she had an idea.

Picking herself off the bed, she grabbed her guitar by the strap and swung it over her shoulder, stepping out of her room and into the empty hallway. Emmy hated how no one ever seemed to wander the halls over the weekends.

It made her feel dead.

She walked quickly to the Azalea Arts Center, pushing through the doors and immediately being met by the echoes of violin. The sound was incredibly familiar, and she could recognize the song choice anywhere.

Forgetting all about her guitar, Emmy walked further into the building until she reached a room a few doors down from a recording studio. She peered through the window of the door to, of course, see Ethan.

Emmy could only see his back, of which was covered in dirt and grass most likely from laying on the field for ages. He was playing a song they'd played at this years OST Performance, one that Owen had been chosen to take the solo on. He was, as she expected, playing Owen's part, but he didn't seem to be trying very hard. She recognized where he was in the song, and let him get through the fastest part before interrupting him.

Ethan stopped and turned around to open the door. "Whassup?" he stood aside to let her step in, and she walked forward to sit in a chair. "How was the meeting?"

"It was… fine," Emmy sighed as she placed her guitar case by her feet. "Really tiring."

"That's why _you're_ president and _I'm_ not," he chuckled, placing his violin down on a piano that was also in the room. He stretched his hands over his head, flexing his fingers out in a fan. Emmy could hear his joints pop.

Emmy chuckled weakly, shoving her hands into the pockets of her long green sweatshirt. Ethan looked over and raised an eyebrow, but Emmy just shook her head. "I need a distraction right now," she told him, bringing her legs up to her chest. She pulled her arms from her pockets and hugged her knees, balancing precariously on the seat of her chair.

Ethan grabbed another chair and sat next to her. "Me too, really," he leaned against her side, causing Emmy to put her legs down in fear that she'd lose balance. Emmy loosely wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Emmy whispered practically into his hair. Ethan seemed to think it over before responding.

"You ever have a crush on someone you know you can't have?" his voice barely stood out from the air conditioner blaring overhead. "I can't remember the word for it, but I recently learned just how much it sucks."

Emmy nodded. "It's all I've known. Either they aren't into me or they don't lean that way."

"Like Renee?"

"Yeah."

A solemn silence fell over the two. Emmy rubbed Ethan's shoulder as he messed with her hair that fell to her collarbones. He twirled it between his fingers before braiding a short, small braid. He eventually spoke up again.

"It's Luke."

Emmy noted the sad tone in his voice and the way he let go of her hair. She pulled tighter on his shoulder as he resumed laying his head on hers. "I kind of figured it was either him or Caddy, I couldn't tell."

Ethan didn't give any signal he'd heard, but Emmy could see a look of deep thought in his eyes. "Is James gonna leave me?" he whispered, his voice breaking.

Emmy wanted so bad to say no, but she felt as though she'd be lying to speak for someone else like that. "I hope not. That doesn't seem like something he'd do."

"But what if someone takes him from me?" Emmy, though she couldn't see his face, heard his tears in his voice. His whole body quaked, and his hands grasped to her shirt. "He's all I've got, Em. He…" Ethan cut himself off with a sob, and Emmy turned to pull him into a tight hug.

He cried for a while, tears soaking through Emmy's shirt enough that she felt it on her skin. She hated when he cried; he was so small that it sounded like it hurt him physically. He didn't cry often, he was normally quite optimistic, but it wasn't something she hadn't seen before.

Ethan eventually took a breath to calm himself, moving back a few was practically sitting on her knees at this point, and Emmy noted how his weight had gone down significantly since she had seen him on tour.

"Did I ever tell you about when James was adopted? About me when that happened?" Emmy shook her head. "I had just learned some… _things_ about myself a few weeks prior. I ended up being socially isolated from the few friends I had because I was… well I was gay. Only Louis stuck around.

When James moved in I was super scared he'd end up hating me. I got lucky my parents didn't hate me, seeing as my 'friends' outed me without me wanting to. But I didn't know about James, and since we were only what, 9? I was doing high school courses soon after that, but James was in Year 3. I didn't know what to think.

So me and my parents didn't tell him until I turned 11, so about two years later. I dragged him out at 2 in the morning to the beach, you know the one I showed you? We sat on a ledge and I told him.

Apparently he already knew! I asked how, and he said it was because I looked at a bunch of male models, which I will admit I still do!" Ethan began chuckling to himself. "But he was so… So nice about it. He told me about how his parents were lesbians that night. He said until he moved out with us, he hadn't known that same-sex couples were out of the ordinary, since both his parents and a bunch of his neighbors were lesbian couples."

Ethan was smiling at his hands, still grasped onto Emmy's shirt. His platinum hair fell into his eyes a bit, turning his eyes a deep forest green. The soft jacket he was wearing had been pushed up his arms, revealing small doodles and notes all along his forearms. One simply read 'Molduga' below a scratched out 'Meds'

"Emmy?" Ethan removed his hands, waving them in front of her face. Her eyes quickly jumped back to his face. "You okay? You don't seem very well."

She blinked for a second before sighing. "It's just… I learned some news today, is all," she muttered, dragging her hands over her face. "A family friend died recently."

"Oh, Em," Ethan whispered, grabbing either side of her face slowly. "I'm… I'm sorry. You've been going through so much recently, I honestly feel horrible for you." Ethan closed his eyes for a moment. "How do you do it? How are you so calm when everything's falling apart?"

Emmy watched as Ethan slowly opened his eyes and blink slowly. "Honestly?" Emmy smiled sadly. "I'm freaking the fuck out. But I know that… that the world'll keep on going no matter what happens, and there's no need to sit around crying and waste my life. But I can't shake the feeling that I'm not supposed to be here. Like someone else should have lived and someone else should have died."

"Yeah, it does doesn't it. This feels so…" Ethan froze, hands falling to Emmy's shoulders. "Unreal."

* * *

 **Sorry that a bunch of this chapter was super boring. I kind of wrote it at 1 am and I really needed some stuff to happen.**

 **The different texting styles couldn't really come through in this because I feel that most people tend to text fairly formally, at least in comparison to how they normally would, when first talking to someone. Which is why Owen is probably the most standoffish of them.**

 **Ethan is slowly taking over a lot of the spotlight, which is definitely on purpose. This is his arc after all. He's also probably my favorite of the main 4, and the only reason he's not my favorite overall is because I made one of them have the most confusing fucking backstory and I love it.**

 **But yeah, West and his roommate are pretty cool in all honesty. Kaizo games are really fitting for their characters too haha**

 **If you haven't watched a Kaizo game be played before, I highly recommend it. They're amazing.**

 **The song Ethan was playing on the violin was Breath of the Wild's Molduga theme, specifically Phase 2. It's a super amazing song from the soundtrack, and the violin is superb. Definitely check it out!**

 **I'll see you all soon! Hopefully the next chapter can tie up some loose ends and give Emmy a break lol**

 **#LetEmmyBeHappy2017**


	25. Chapter Twenty Five - Out of My League

**This is not how I planned on this chapter going, but WELP**

 **I really love my wife**

 **Hope you guys enjoy! This one's a bit different from the other chapters lol**

* * *

Nialle really fucking hated her roommate.

Owen was probably the most opposite of opposites you could get from Nialle. Obnoxious, lazy, messy, and worst of all:

She was an absolute asshole.

Nialle spent Owen's birthday (which she only knew because Owen had a giant "Word-of-the-Day" style calendar filled with cats and the date was circled) outside with West while he worked with the track team. He eventually had to go off to do one-on-one training with a few of the members who had a meet that week, leaving Nialle to go back to her room.

Which was not just locked, but fully jammed closed.

She could hear Owen cackling on the other side, and after standing outside fuming for a solid three minutes, she stormed off. All of her books were in there, so she couldn't do any work, and all her clothes were dirty from sitting on the grass, so she didn't really feel like doing anything with a lot of people around.

She thought about going to the library, but _Ryan_ might be there, and she was pretty sure he and Owen were plotting something against her and West and she didn't like the thought of what he would do.

And that's how Nialle ended up sitting on the roof, throwing individual garden rocks off the roof. She'd gathered them from the lining of the large brick pots, sat near the edge, and began aimlessly tossing them.

Nialle tried to tolerate Owen, she really did. But Owen purposefully went out of her way to fuck with her, and she had just about enough. She leaned over the ledge on her arms, her legs crossed beneath her. She could see West and a small girl at the long jump, West sitting at the edge of the sand as she ran. He raised a red flag as she passed, the blow of a whistle audible from even this far away.

West was the kind of kid that she had no clue why he wasn't cooler. He knew, i some way, all of the popular kids, and he seemed to have the lowdown on every single student. It creeped her out almost, but he didn't seem stalkery.

Just. Observant is all.

Nialle dropped the last of the stones in her hand and leaned back. Her dark braid fell off her shoulder and along her back, brushing the roof. She sighed, leaning back to lay down. Her back popped, making her flinch, but she ended up stretching out like a cat.

The sun felt nice, even if it was a bit hot. 'D been a while since she'd sat by herself, no distractions, in nature. It used to be one of her favorite things, climbing out onto her roof and staring at the stars.

After what felt like years she heard the rooftop door open. Nialle was practically hidden behind a flower box, so whoever it was didn't see her. She waited a second before sitting up a bit and looking up.

She didn't recognize the girl right away, green sweatshirt, strawberry-blonde ponytail. But she eventually clicked that it was one of Owen's friends, one she'd seen at the breakfast the day prior.

Her body seemed to move without her registering it, and as she took a few steps the girl whirled around.

Her bangs were a mess, not to mention her ponytail. Her face was red, rubbed raw by what Nialle assumed was her sleeve, which was spotted with water. "O-oh. Sorry, I didn't know you were-" the girl started, Nialle finally noticing the guitar case in her hand as she swung the strap over her shoulder.

"It's fine, I was just…" What was she doing? Cloud-gazing? "I was just relaxing up here." Nialle fidgeted with her hands, wishing desperately that she hadn't work yoga pants so she'd have pockets. "W-what about you? What's your name again?"

The girl chuckled, brushing her hair from her eyes. "It's Emmy." _Shit that was adorable_. "You're uh, Nialle, right? Owen's roommate?"

"Wish I wasn't," Nialle muttered, flashing Emmy a joking smile. She laughed, rubbing her hand up and down her arm. Nialle's gaze flashed to the guitar. "Oh, were you planning on…" she gestured towards the black case.

Emmy seemed to jolt out of a haze. "Ah, I was just trying to find a distraction."

"Can I listen?" Nialle asked, instantly regretting it. "Er, uh, I didn't mean- _shit_ I didn't mean for that to sound so blunt I-"

"Y-yeah, it's fine," Emmy smiled, swinging her guitar back into her arms. She seemed to cradle it, almost like a child, before she sat on the edge of the nearest flower box. As Nialle sat down, she saw that one of the flowers was sprayed an unnatural shade of neon pink. "It's not amazing but…"

Nialle shrugged. "I have low standards, seeing as I can't even hold an instrument properly." Emmy smiled softly, and Nialle noticed that one of her eyes appeared clouded and fuzzy. They were an odd shade of gray, but seemed to reflect the sky in a way that made them appear blue.

"I don't know what to play," Emmy chuckled, pulling her guitar out. Unlike the case it was carried in, her guitar wasn't absolutely crowded with stickers. Two stickers were placed on it- one Nialle recognized as Owen's orchestra symbol, the other being a small label. On it was two names, Emmy and Casper Wadetin.

Nialle shrugged. "Play something you like."

"Uhm… I'll play Scarborough Fair Canticle. It's not that hard," Emmy muttered the last part under her breath, brushing her bangs from her face one more time before she began playing.

Now, Nialle didn't like music all that much. She found it distracting or loud most of the time. But the song was incredibly… calming. As if it settled some storm she'd been fighting for years without knowing.

She understood why she was president of their club now.

When it ended, Nialle had to take a moment to shake her head out of it. "Wh- why'd you stop?"

Emmy chuckled. "The song ended."

"Then play again," Nialle demanded, tensing back. "Er, please?"

The German looked at her for a moment before her face broke out into a big smile. "Ah, o-oh! Okey Dokie! What do you wanna hear?"

"Something like that," Nialle whispered, scooting a bit closer. "It was really pretty. How'd you do it?"

Emmy seemed taken back for a second before her face flushed. "Thanks," she whispered, looking away. "I just... played, I guess. It's hard to explain." The girl's hand shot up to her neck as she looked away. Her eyes flashed back to Nialle. "But sure, I'll play something like it."

Nialle sat through song after song, listening to Emmy list them off. _Claude's Girl, Flowers in your Hair, Yellow, Skinny Love_ , the list went on and on, and before she knew it, the sky had turned dark.

"Look at the time," Emmy chuckled, letting her guitar rest in her lap as she ran her fingers over the strings gently. It created a sound like a whisper, and Nialle almost believed it was the wind.

The girl pulled out a phone from her pocket, showing Nialle the lock screen. _8:48_. It'd been over two hours. Nialle suddenly remembered why she was on the roof in the first place with a heavy sigh. "How am I supposed to get into my room?" she muttered out loud, hands cutting through the small amount of bang she had.

"Do what now?" Emmy chuckled, zipping up her guitar case as she stood up. She held out her hand for Nialle to take, hauling her to her feet.

"Owen kinda locked me out of my room," Nialle shuffled, crossing her arms. The temperature had dropped significantly.

Emmy's face went from a look of confusion to realization, pity, and finally realization. "Hey, wanna stay in my room? It's not far from yours, so you can run there in the morning and change if you want."

"You…" Nialle was taken aback. "But we… we just met? You'd let me stay in your dorm?" Emmy smiled with a nod. "B-but what about your roommate?"

Emmy's face fell a bit. "I don't have one," she whispered, digging her hands into her pockets. Nialle held back from asking more. "So, you wanna sleep over at my room?"

"Uh, y-yeah! Sure," Nialle coughed, trying to sound less enthusiastic. _Can you not be gay once in your life, dear lord_.

Emmy looked back at Nialle and gestured with her shoulders. "C'mon then! I'll lead the way."

The two walked quietly down the steps of the Azalea Arts Center, Nialle slowly making her way next to Emmy. Nialle was slightly taller than the other, but it was subtle, perhaps less than an inch. She took the time to look at the girl a bit closer.

Her outfit was incredibly simple, just an oversized green hoodie pulled over gray jeans, her shoes a pair of white ballet flats. She had a bunch of hair ties pulled onto her wrist, and she kept pulling on hand out of her pocket to twirl with a loose strand of hair framing her face.

Her profile was incredibly petite, not matching the more bulky frame of her lower body. Emmy didn't seem to have a lot of fat, just leg muscle, unlike Nialle who couldn't seem to lose weight for the life of her. The girl seemed distracted as they walked outside, her gaze only flickering to Nialle once.

The stark contrast Nialle noticed between Owen and her friends was almost jarring. Ethan and her were similarly agitated, but she had respect for his insane work ethic. James was honestly super sweet from the few times he'd been in their room before. He and West seemed to get along really well too.

Emmy was the strangest.

She was soft-spoken, at least from what she'd seen. Her hobbies weren't dangerous, she didn't seem to have any educational problems, and she was honestly intriguing to Nialle.

She was _way_ too cool to be Owen's friend.

The two ended up at Emmy's room shortly after, Emmy pushing open the door and letting Nialle in. "I've been having a lot of guests lately," Emmy muttered, shutting the door. "Not that I'm complaining."

Nialle looked around the room a bit, studying what she had. Half of the furniture was barren, a few blankets occupying some empty space. There was an oil painting hung above a couch, of which was placed pile of pillows and bedsheets.

The desk with any stuff on it was relatively clear, a few sticky notes and pictures pinned up to a cork board balanced on top. A few sheets of homework were scattered on it, a book placed face-down on a page sitting right next to the chair.

Orange sheets were draped over the bed, with white pillows placed along the top. It looked like one of those creamsicles West had given her on her birthday, a box of which sat uneaten since in the girl's dorm fridge.

"Cute room," Nialle mused, walking over and sitting on the creamsicle bed. "Thanks, I tried _really_ hard on it," Emmy rolled her eyes with a smile. She propped open a closet, placing the guitar precariously on the top shelf. "Do you need a change of clothes?" Emmy called over her shoulder.

"Oh, uh," Nialle looked down at her clothes, covered in grass and dirt. "Maybe."

Emmy leaned back from her closet, quickly closing the door. She walked a few steps to the dresser pulling open the bottom drawer. "Is a shirt and shorts okay?"

"That's… that's great…" Nialle zoned out, staring at a porcelain rabbit propped on top of the desk right across the room. It was staring directly at her, the ribbon tied around it's neck shaking slightly in the air conditioning.

"-le? Nialle?" Emmy came into view, looking at her confused. "You good?" Emmy turned her gaze in the direction Nialle had been looking. "Oh, the rabbit. Is it creeping you out?"

Nialle took the clothes out of her hands, looking the shirt over. "N-no, it's nothing. It's just… pretty is all." She ran her fingers over the fabric of the shirt, a soft lilac color. The shorts were white with little pink starfish scattered across. The shirt had a moon printed on the back, something Nialle realized when she held it up. Under it read ' _Love you to the moon and back'_.

Emmy waltzed over to the couch, grabbing a set of white sheets and tossed them over to the bed. "You can change in the closet if you're uncomfortable," she smiled, turning and pulling it open. As she grabbed a soft lime comforter from the bottom, Nialle noticed how dangerous the shelf tilted when the door moved.

"I think I'd rather change out here," Nialle stood up. "I don't want to die by closet."

Emmy burst out into laughter, lip curling up to reveal her teeth. She appeared to have a fake one, seeing as it was an unusual light gray compared to the rest which were white. "What happened to your teeth?" she asked casually, pulling off the dirty t-shirt over her head. She saw Emmy turn her head away suddenly.

"Oh, the fake one?" Emmy resumed her path to the bed, beginning to lay out the sheets and tucking them into the sides. "I'm surprised you noticed. It got knocked out when I got mugged."

"WHAT?!" Nialle shot up, mid pulling on the snug shirt. "When did that happen?!"

Emmy glanced at her briefly before quickly snapping her head to the bed. "Earlier this year. I wasn't at school for the first semester due to some bad leg injuries and losing vision in one eye. It also had me in therapy for a bit, so by the time I was let out, my parents asked if I could just stay at the hospital until the next semester."

"That's… wow," Nialle sighed, finally pulling the shirt down all the way. It surprisingly fit quite well, but she assumed that was because it was big on Emmy in the first place. "Any other life-threatening incidents I need to know about?"

Emmy seemed to tense up as she pulled the comforter on. She appeared to think something over before shaking her head. "Not that I can think of, no."

"Still, that's quite the feat," Nialle chuckled, changing out her pants for the shorts. They were a bit shorter than she was normally comfortable with, especially around another girl, but they were incredibly comfortable. Emmy glanced over and smiled.

"I think those fit you better than me," she turned around, grabbing a pillow off the couch. She tossed it to Nialle, who barely managed to catch it. Emmy looked her up and down for a second before whispering something to herself and grabbing another pillow. "So when do you normally sleep?"

Nialle watched her throw a pillow on the floor by the wall as she grabbed the book off her desk. It was one Nialle remembered- an originally french novel translated over to both Japanese and English. It was _really_ dramatic at times, but some parts were just plain boring. She took a glance over Emmy's shoulder to see the page number. "You're only on chapter 6?"

Emmy sat down on the pillow, leaning on the wall. "Oh, uh, yeah. Mr. Patrick's giving me extra time on it. It can be uh…" She paused as Nialle threw her pillow down next to Emmy's, sitting down next to her. "It's hard for me to read."

"Oh, the eye thing?"

"The eye thing."

Nialle watched Emmy slowly scan the page, stopping half-way down. She seemed to stare at the character for a moment before flushing in frustration. She glanced over at Nialle slowly. "Can you… can you tell me what this says?" Emmy turned the book around and pointed at a sentence.

"It says 'Napoleon'," Nialle answered, leaning back against the wall. Emmy whispered thanks before resuming, Nialle watching as she finally reached the next page. After two more pages of this, Nialle sighed, and tapped Emmy on the arm. "Hey, do you want some help?" Emmy looked at her confused. "Like, do you want me to read it to you?"

Emmy's face lit up. "You'd do that?" Nialle nodded, Emmy suddenly standing up. "Dude, thanks a bunch!" Nialle took Emmy's outstretched hand and pulled up, but before she could let go, Emmy was pulling her towards the creamsicle bed. She sat her down, gesturing for her to stay seated as she half-skipped over to the mirror over her dresser.

Nialle watched her take out her contacts, Emmy's vision suddenly becoming unfocused. She tapped around and grabbed a glasses case, from which she pulled out a pair of square-framed glasses that she propped on her face.

She looked really fucking adorable.

Emmy grabbed the pillows on the floor on her way back, climbing past Nialle to the opposite side of the bed. She propped up the extra pillows behind Nialle before pulling down the comforter and laying down. Emmy tapped the spot next to her, but Nialle just pulled up the blanket to her shoulders and laid on top of it.

"Okay, where'd you leave off?" Nialle tried to focus on the novel, continuing on from where Emmy'd been. They read 5 chapters before Nialle noticed that Emmy'd fallen asleep.

She pulled the glasses off of her face, Emmy's eyelashes fluttering. Nialle was scared for a moment that she'd woken her, but Emmy remained asleep. Nialle returned the glasses to the case and placed a sticky note on the page she'd ended on.

Walking quickly over to the lightswitch, she looked over at Emmy slowly. "Way outta my league," Nialle whispered, flipping off the lights and letting the room go dark.

" _Nialle, sweetie, what are you doing?" her mother yawned from the doorway. Nialle turned quickly in her chair, holding out a tablet screen._

" _Look, momma! I'm a Pisces!" she smiled, waving the article as her mother slowly walked up. Her mom leaned down onto her knees to look her in the eyes._

 _She ran her hand through Nialle's long hair, brushing it out of her eyes. "Honey, I'm glad to see you're so enthusiastic, but do you think it can wait until tomorrow? It's 2 AM," her mom smiled, taking the tablet and turning it off. Nialle reached her arms out and let her mom pick her up. "Ooh, you're getting too big for me!" she laughed, placing her on her bed._

 _Nialle wiggled under the blankets, glancing up at the glow-in-the-dark star and moon stickers plastered on the ceiling. The room was once her sister's, and she was the one who originally put them up._

" _My big ol' 8 year old," her mother kissed her forehead, tapping her finger on the end of her nose. "How'd you grow up so fast?"_

 _Nialle closed her eyes with a hum. "Night mom," she yawned, getting a chuckle from the older._

" _Night, little river," she whispered, flipping off the lights and closing the door._

* * *

 **Nialle is my wife I swear I love her a lot**

 **I add way too much tension I swear I'm sorry. I just really wanted to establish some characters and it turned into… this, I guess.**

 **The song referenced are here:**

 **(The title is Out of My League - Fitz and the Tantrums)**

 **Scarborough Fair Canticle - Simon & Garfunkel (More specifically, the Celia Pavey cover)**

 **Claude's Girl - Marika Hackman (this is technically Emmy's Theme btw)**

 **Yellow - Coldplay**

 **Flowers in Your Hair - The Lumineers**

 **Skinny Love - Bon Iver**

 **I hope this chapter was good? I wrote it at like 2:30 AM so i may just be projecting my gay lol idk**


	26. Chapter Twenty Six - Cupcake

**You guys this chapter made me legit sad to write I'm so sorry ;~;**

 **The next chapter is also gonna be fun, but less of a feels trip because my boi is emotional**

 **Hope this is okay? Let me know if it's not so I don't mess up the next one lol**

 **Enjoy :D**

* * *

The morning of Monday was insanely hot.

Ethan was unprepared, wearing his full uniform with extreme regret as he stepped outside. James had been smart, choosing to only wear his white collared shirt with his jacket slung over his shoulder. Ethan kept tugging his vest and shirt away from his body as they stuck with sweat.

"These heatwaves are really getting on my nerves," he muttered, running his hands through his hair. James had taken his jacket for him, stuffing it into his bag as well as he could. Ethan shook his head, running his hands over his face before stretching out his arms.

He glanced up at his brother. James kept craning his head around, looking for something. Or someone. He wasn't paying Ethan any attention, made clear when Ethan stopped walking as James continued. His brother eventually veered off, intersecting his path with Owen's as they entered the building.

Ethan rolled his eyes, tugging at his collar as he resumed his slow walk. He was slowly getting more and more uncomfortable. He saw a few other students struggling in the heat alongside him, and a few miserable-looking track members in their uniforms.

He suddenly felt a sharp slap against his back. Before he could turn around and respond, a voice said, "Having fun with that vest?"

Ethan straightened himself up with a plastered smile, turning to look Luke in the face. "Who wouldn't be when it's this hot out?" he playfully shook his head. Luke, as most other boys had, was wearing only his button-up, but he also had his club jacket on. "How do you wear that thing?"

Luke looked down to his jacket, shrugging. "It's pretty breathable, actually! We stole the fabric choice from Normal Boots, more specifically Jared. I can you where we got it if you want?"

The two pushed into Poppy Hall, Luke instantly seeing Ian standing a few feet away at Jimmy's locker. He was hassling him for something, Jimmy eventually signing and passing him a small box. Ian smirked triumphantly.

"Thanks, man! That'd be great," Ethan smiled, looking further down the hall. "Catch ya later!" he waved goodbye as Luke walked in Ia and Jimmy's direction, leaving Ethan alone. Again.

As soon as Ethan walked into Mr. Patricks classroom, his teacher called him over. "You wouldn't happen to know the whereabouts of my stapler, would you?" Mr. Patrick interrogated, scrawling page numbers onto the chalkboard.

"Uh, no? Why, should I?"

His teacher scoffed. "Do me a favor, won't you? Run up to Mr. Saitomo, see if he took it. If not, come back here."

"But class starts soon," Ethan crossed his arms, glancing sideways to see James enthusiastically talking to Caddy, Wallid, and Emmy, all of whom were listening intently. He vaguely heard Owen's name before instantly snapping his eyes back to his teacher. "Nevermind, I know it anyways."

"Why do you think I asked you, boy," Mr. Patrick placed the chalk down and turned to his desk. He scrawled a note on a piece of paper and handed it to Ethan. The top read 'Hall Pass'. "Don't dilly-dally. Shoo."

Ethan turned on his heel and stalked out, heading up the now almost completely empty halls. The only kids he really saw were track kids pulling bags out of lockers or just chattering. He heard the words 'track meet' about 200 times before he finally reached the fourth floor. There were very few kids in the top floor's halls, and only one Ethan recognized.

West was wearing a track uniform, but the shirt he had on was black instead of white. The back read 'Track Captain' with a white asagao flower printed beneath it. He was stretching his legs when Ethan passed, and West gave him a little wave. Ethan returned it with a small smile before turning into Mr. Saitomo's room.

The bell rang just before he walked in, Ethan getting a slightly tighter grip on the hall pass. "Uhm, Mr. Saitomo?"

"Flipsen? What's your woe?" the teacher never turned from where he was sitting facing his class. The teacher was short- still taller than Ethan, but still short.

"Mr. Patrick wanted to know about a stapler?" he glanced at the rows of students, seeing Jeff with his head resting on one of his arms. He looked at Ethan at the same time, giving him a little smile. Ethan subtly nodded.

Mr. Saitomo seemed to think it over before reaching across his desk and grabbing a yellow stapler. On it was three black dots, and two small bunny ears jutted out the back. Ethan noticed one of Mr. Patrick's labels stuck to the side. The old man passed it over to Ethan, who took in his hand. "Tell him it's out of staples."

"Yes sir," Ethan nodded, turning to walk out. He heard the teacher speak again.

"Oh and Ethan? Come see me after class."

Ethan returned Mr. Patrick's stapler and spent the rest of class writing random things on a sheet of paper. It started as song lyrics, then it kinda spiralled out of control from there. He felt James look over at him a few times, and at one point his brother wrote a small **You good?** along the top. Ethan just nodded and continued doodling.

The lunch bell finally rang, and Ethan sat behind as he gathered his things. James had left him with all his stuff, and after bidding his teacher goodbye, he quickly shoved his books into his locker. He waltzed in the direction of the stairwell, ducking and dodging his way up to the fourth floor yet again.

The halls were completely empty this time, and when he walked into Mr. Saitomo's room he found him practically where he'd been when he'd come that morning. "Pull up a chair, Mr. Flipsen."

Ethan grabbed the nearest chair and sat down. "How do you know me?" Ethan put his I'm-Talking-To-An-Adult face on, which was more of a polite neutrality than anything else.

"Ah, Mr. Patrick complains about you at many a meeting. That, and I was recently told you've joined two clubs," Mr. Saitomo explained, crossing his hands onto the desk. "One of my clubs to be exact."

Ethan looked at him confused before realizing. He plastered a smile. "Ah, you're the Hidden Block sponsor, yes?" The teacher nodded politely. "This makes sense now. Is there something you needed to talk to me about?"

The teacher made a noise before leaning back. "Loosen up, boy. You're tensing up." Ethan blinked a bit. "I'm not going to bite you, I promise," the old man smiled faintly, pushing a bowl full of lollipops towards Ethan. "Want one?"

Ethan coughed and regained his composure. "Thank you, sir," he smiled, leaning forward to look into the bowl. He grabbed one labelled butterscotch.

"Why that one?" the teacher asked, pulling the bowl back to himself.

"Why… butterscotch?" Ethan asked, pausing as he pulled off the wrapper. "Well, my mom gave me a lot of butterscotch candies as a young kid. It made me really like the flavor," he vaguely explained, pulling off the wrapper completely and holding the lollipop between his teeth before actually eating it. He leaned and threw the wrapper into the bin.

Mr. Saitomo looked out the window for a moment before nodding. "That will be all," he turned back to Ethan, waving him dismissively. "You may leave."

"Wh-" Ethan jumped, confused. Slowly he stood up, pushing the chair back. "Okay? You sure, sir?"

"Plenty. Go have fun," the teacher smiled, folding his hands again. "Tell the boys I said hi."

Ethan bowed and walked towards the door before his eye caught something hanging halfway out of a desk.

A yellow and black jacket.

It wasn't in the seat Jeff had been in earlier. "Uhm, Mr. Saitomo? Who's is this?" Ethan grabbed a sleeve hanging out, showing the teacher. The man shrugged.

"Show it to the boys, they probably know."

Ethan lifted the desk and pulled it out, nodding to the teacher as he stepped out into the hall. He tried to search it for a name on a tag, anything to signify who it belonged to, but he found nothing. Hanging it over his arms, Ethan made his way to lunch, noticing on the clock that he had plenty of time to eat.

Pushing into the lunchroom, Ethan noticed immediately that James and Owen weren't with the club. They were off at a table by themselves, Owen showing James something on her phone as she ate pasta from a bowl.

Ethan walked over to where Hidden Block was sitting, coughing to get their attention as he sat down. He threw the jacket onto the table. "Who lost it?"

The six of them looked around before they all almost perfectly in-sync yelled, "PAUL!"

Ethan turned quickly to see the boy in question fall out of his seat in shock. The table he was at started laughing before he stood up and thwacked Nick on the back of the head as he paced over.

"What do you wa- oh," he froze as he looked at the jacket. "Oops."

"We gave you ONE JOB for literally THREE DAYS and it takes you less than a day to mess it up!" Jimmy exhaled, placing his forehead on the table.

Ian folded his fingers together. "Why is it not in the box?"

Paul, rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I just… wanted to see what it looked like?" he avoided eye contact and stared at the floor.

"It looks _exactly like the rest of them_ ," Wallid gestured around the table.

"Ugh, whatever," Paul muttered, crossing his arms. "Just do the thing now, I guess," he waved his hands as he stalked back to his table, sitting down with a huff as he shoved another fork-full of something into his mouth.

Everyone at the table practically rolled their eyes together before Jeff just shrugged. "Well, guess we gotta do it now."

"But my food…" Luke frowned, poking at his sandwich. Caddy reached over and took half of it, taking a giant bite out of the side. "Dude! Not cool!" The brit shrugged.

Ethan looked around slightly confused. "Uhh, what's happening?" The six of them stared at him blankly before Ian slapped Caddy on the arm.

"Look, we found someone who goes your speed for once," he teased, making Ethan stomp his foot. Ian held up his hands in defense. "Slow down, lollipop."

Ethan just heaved a sigh, watching them all stand up. They looked between each other before five of them all pointed at Jeff. "Hey! Why do _I_ have to do it!"

"You're the oldest," Jimmy pointed out, placing his hands on his hips. "And this is kinda your fault."

The other four "Yeah"ed in agreement. "You guys are so mean," Jeff frowned, grabbing the jacket off the table. All six of them turned eerily towards Ethan.

Jeff looked over at Caddy and Luke who both nodded and walked around the table towards Ethan. "Uh guys? Guys! GUYS STOP WHAT THE HELL!?" Ethan yelled as he was hauled off of his feet by the two. He dangled between them, each holding an arm. Wallid reached out and grabbed one of his legs, Ian and Jimmy staring at each other before Jimmy finally caved and took the other.

Ethan tried to squirm, but ended up stopping when Jeff placed the jacket over his face. He felt himself move, but he couldn't see where he was going. He heard the six of them cackling as they began moving faster. Ethan yelled muffled screams into the jacket on his face.

He heard Jeff yell something to which the other five responded, but it was faded out from the jacket over his ears. After what felt like ages, they finally stopped, though they didn't put Ethan down until Jeff was heard running back.

They set him down and Ethan immediately felt grass. They still had his arms and legs in a hold as Ian pulled the jacket off of his face.

He was greeted by all six of them staring down at him, Jeff holding something in his hands that Ethan could only identify as yellow. "Can someone explain?"

Jeff just shook his head, Ian making a shushing sound as Jeff placed whatever the yellow block was onto Ethan's chest. Ethan looked at it to see a black question mark painted on the side, the text "Welcome, Ethan!" painted above. All of the members names were signed along the bottom, including Mr. Saitomo's name.

Suddenly everyone let go of his arms and he was allowed to sit up. He finally recognized where he was. The field on the outskirts of school. A large oak tree was a few feet away. Ethan looked back down at the box, noticing that the top seemed to be a lid.

He slipped his finger under the side and pulled up, opening the lid.

It was a cupcake. A single, lone cupcake sitting in a box.

Ethan suddenly burst out laughing, bringing his arms around his stomach. "You-psh hah, y-you c-cahahaha!" He kept cutting himself off with laughter, falling backwards onto his back. He barely heard as the others slowly delved into hysterics at the sight of him rolling around on the grass because of a cupcake.

He did hear, however, as they followed him to the ground. His eyes cracked open for a second to see that all but Ian was also hunched over on the floor. Jeff, the closest to him, was laughing the hardest, his face still red from running.

Luke had one hand holding onto the rim of his hat as he curled over himself from his knees. Jimmy looked like he was trying not to laugh but failing as he ended up rolling on his side. Caddy was laying flat on his stomach with his hands over his face, Ian looking down on all of them affectionately with a hand over his mouth. Wallid was behind Ethan, and all he could see was his shoulder.

Ian was the first to stop laughing, as noted by a lack of shadow covering them as he moved to sit down under the tree. Ethan shortly followed, sitting up with his face scrunched up in repressed laughter. He followed Ian to the tree, sitting down next to him. Ian slung his arm over his shoulder and rubbed his arm.

The two looked on as the others tried to stop, looked at the others, and continued their laughing fit for at least 3 minutes before finally Jimmy and Wallid calmed down enough to see the other two sitting under the tree. Jimmy ran over and followed Ian's lead, plopping his head on Ethan's as Wallid sat on Ian's other side.

AFter a few seconds Jeff and Luke helped each other up, relying on the other for support. They kept keeling down and bumping foreheads until Luke just used his arm to hold onto Jeff's neck. He turned and held an arm out for Caddy, who took it and pulled up, Luke mirroring what he'd done to Jeff. He swung between the two, Caddy stopping him from falling by catching one of his legs.

The three sat down in front of the other four, everyone sitting in a soft silence. Ethan felt something prod his side. He looked down to see Ian holding the cupcake box in one hand, and Ethan took it from him.

Everyone looked at him expectantly, Jimmy even lifting his head from Ethan's shoulder. He picked it up in his hands, realizing it was some sort of marble of vanilla and strawberry. His favorite.

"How'd you guys…" Ethan smiled, turning it in his hands. The icing on top mirrored the flavors, being a swirl of white and light pink.

"Well, you _do_ have a brother," Wallid chimed, leaning forward. "He's pretty easy to locate, too."

As Ethan cradled the cake, he heard Jimmy huff in his ear. "Are you gonna eat it or…?"

Ethan took a small bite of both the icing and cake, realizing that they'd even gone as far as to get his favorite icing too. Buttercream.

Jeff leaned side to side, bumping Luke periodically. "Is it good?" Ethan looked up and nodded, smiling through another mouthful. Jeff pumped his arms in the air before smiling back enthusiastically. "That buttercream was a pain in the _butt_ I swear."

Ethan coughed for a second as he swallowed. "Y-you _made this_?!"

Everyone around him nodded. "It was a mess."

"Some kid had to come in and help us after _James dumped his eggs in the trash_ ," Ian glared at Caddy, the boy responding by throwing his hands in the air.

"I didn't _know_! I thought some kid had just thrown a bunch of eggs in a pot!"

"They were _boiled,_ " Ian sighed, Caddy just glaring at him. As Caddy started moving forward, Luke pushed him back and held him there.

Ethan looked back at the cupcake, smiling. He opened his mouth to say something, but all that happened was a choked sob. He heard everyone suddenly turn from Ian and Caddy's fight to look at him.

"E-Ethan?" Jimmy placed his hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Is he crying?" Wallid whispered, shifting over more so he was next to Caddy. Ethan rubbed one of his hands over his face, sitting with his knees pulled to his chest for a second before looking up with a smile. He was still crying, but it had devolved into a sort of cry-laugh as he dropped the cake back into the box. It fell next to him as he lunged forward and took Jeff, Luke and Caddy down into a hug.

His voice was muffled by the ground as he said, "Thank you." He felt someone slowly wrap their arms around him and a face bury into his neck. It was followed shortly by five more people piling around him in a dog pile.

"Welcome to Hidden Block," he heard Jeff mumble from under him. It was followed by a loud chorus.

"Welcome Ethan!"

* * *

 **Okay, so this was sort of an Ethan's Initiation chapter, so I'm guessing you guys can figure out what the next chapter is lol.**

 **Ethan is such a sad character tho? Like, his story is honestly depressing sometimes. But I love him, he's my son. I hope y'all are ready for a major depression-fest, especially in the Ethan chapters.**

 **Love y'all 3**


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven - Frame

**Hey guys! So, I feel I should probably tell you guys that I won't upload all next week since I'm visiting family (yay!)**

 **But my computer's been acting up, so sorry if something randomly cuts out, just ignore it**

 **Anyway, hope you Enjoy!**

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 **Playing [Wadetin, Emmy - 27 - 'Frame']**

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"PAUL!" a loud boom shook the cafeteria. Emmy jumped, her gaze flashing quickly up to see the boy in question fall out of his chair. One of his legs caught on the chair, leaving him in an awkward position. Everyone around her started laughing, her included.

Paul stood up, thwacking Nick on the head as he turned on his heel to stalk over to the Hidden Block table, where he was hassled by the six original members.

Emmy looked between everyone, but was met by the same 'What's-Going-On' face. After a minute or so, Paul threw his hands in the air and turned back to his own table, yelling over his shoulder, "Just do the thing now I guess!" He huffed as he sat down, shoving a forkful of potato into his mouth and exaggerating his chewing.

"What happened, dude?" Josh pushed his arm lightly with his shoulder, Paul placing his fork down with a sigh out his nose. He placed his fork down, glancing at the Hidden Block table as they stood up.

"Give it a sec," Paul muttered, crossing his arms. Emmy watched as Caddy and Luke picked up Ethan by the arms, followed by Wallid and Jimmy taking his legs. Ian draped a Hidden Block jacket over Ethan's face as the other four carried him out of the room, Ethan squirming and screaming, though muffled by the fabric.

Emmy gaped as Ian and Jeff followed them out, the door shutting on the silent lunchroom. "Wh-what just…?"

"I _may_ have accidentally left Ethan's jacket in my desk and he _may_ have found it before they were ready," Paul explained, scratching the back of his neck. "But they should've known I was unreliable, so if you think about it it's really not my fault!"

The rest of the table rolled their eyes, continuing whatever they'd last been doing. Emmy turned to PBG, the closest to her that wasn't mid-conversation and asked, "Uh, what just happened?"

"Oh!" PBG blinked, smiling. "They're just doing inni-"

"SHH!" Jon waved his hands in a "Shut up!" motion, jerking his head towards Emmy. "What're you doing?!"

PBG looked at him confused as Jon gestured to Emmy again. He suddenly seemed to have realization. "Er, sorry, haha," PBG smiled shyly, turning his attention to Emmy as he shrugged. "You'll see later."

"I…" Emmy breathed, but PBG had already turned his attention back to his girlfriend. She was showing him a letter she'd gotten from what Emmy assumed was her family. Emmy looked around for someone to have a conversation with, but the only person not talking or listening was Shane. He was unavailable, however, seeing as he was tapping away on his phone doing god-knows what.

Emmy stirred her vegetable soup aimlessly, searching around the lunchroom. James and Owen were sitting by themselves at a table. She thought about walking up, but she could see their hands tangled together between them. They seemed preoccupied.

A group was sitting at a table not too far away. The first thing she noticed was the girl with almost knee-length purple hair that almost grazed the floor as she sat. It was a dark indigo, obviously died seeing as Emmy could see her blonde roots sticking out from her head.

It reminded her of Ethan, how he always had black hair poking out strikingly from the base of his hair, no matter how frequently he dyed it.

Another boy had curly hair shaved down around his ears. He was super tan, and Emmy noticed that his teeth were blindingly bright. Next to him sat a set of identical twins. They were both African with blonde hair that had their hair pulled back into man-buns. One had a white necklace on that fell just below his collar.

A few more similar characters sat around them- a Latina with wavy brown hair, a tall girl with blonde hair dyed blue at the tips, two boys with jet black hair, a milk-chocolate tonned girl with a pixie cut. But Emmy noticed one. A girl.

She knew her.

Her name was Mira, a Hawaiian girl with shoulder-length straight brown hair. She was facing Emmy slightly, so Emmy confirmed that yes, she had the same bright green eyes and yes, she still had that giant brown birthmark that covered her jaw and neck.

Emmy stood up quickly, causing a few people at her table to look at her. But she ignored the looks as she quickly walked across the lunchroom and tapped Mira on the shoulder. The girl jumped a bit, placing down her food before speaking.

"Can I hel...p…" Mira froze as she saw Emmy's face. "Em-Em?" Emmy nodded as the other girl stood up quickly. "Em-Em! Oh my god!" The girl quickly pulled Emmy into a hug, jumping up and swinging her legs around Emmy's middle. "When'd you get here?!"

"I've been here since the second semester!" Emmy chuckled, making Mira lean back. "I'm a second year, though. You're a fourth year I presume?"

Mira nodded, quickly kissing Emmy on the forehead before dropping to the floor. She grabbed one of Emmy's hands in each. Before Emmy could continue, Mire began speaking German. " _So you're eye girl, huh_?"

" _What?_ "

" _Don't think I didn't get a hold of_ that _drama! You're the girl who got attacked right? Why didn't you call!"_ Mira frowned, reaching up to stroke Emmy's cheek. Emmy placed a hand over it and scrunched her eyebrows.

" _Sorry, I was a bit busy,_ " Emmy smiled, Mira blinking doubtfully. Emmy looked away chuckling.

Suddenly there was a loud, intentional cough from the table. Emmy turned to see one of the black-haired boys glaring at Mira. He was short and had a track shirt on instead of his uniform. A few other kids at the table wore the same. "This your girlfriend or…?"

Mira jumped back, picking up a napkin, balling it up, and throwing it at him. "Shut the hell up Max." Mira turned around, pulling Emmy up next to her. "This is Emmy, a really good friend from orchestra."

Emmy scrunched in on herself from the sheer amount of eyes looking at her. She waved at the table, most of them waving back. The boy Max didn't, just crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. One of the twins winked, to which the other shoved him on the shoulder.

"U-uh hi! Um," Emmy glanced at Mira from the corner of her vision. She saw her gesture at the open seat across the table. "No it's… it's okay, I just wanted to come say hi."

Mira frowned, but sighed in defeat. She leaned down and grabbed a pen hanging off her binder on the floor. She grabbed Emmy's arm and wrote _453_ in black on her wrist. "You better come by," she looked at her pointedly, her gaze flicking over to the the girl with purple hair. "Oh, yeah, that's my roommate Irene."

Irene waved again, blowing a bubble from her gum she was chewing. After it popped she said, "What do ya play?"

"Cello," Emmy smiled, wringing her hands together. Irene nodded, tapping her fingers along the surface of the table.

"Cool. I play trumpet," she smiled. "Not in any fancy-schmancy orchestra, but I've been playing for years."

Emmy chuckled, looking back at Mira. "Don't worry, I'll stop by your room later," she reassured her, hugging her quickly again. Emmy scratched her hair. "It's weirdly surreal, seeing you here."

"Yeah, really. I'm not complaining though!" Mira smiled, moving to sit down again. "See ya later!"

Emmy waved and walked away, noticing as the rest of the table waved too. As soon as she turned back to her own table, she heard questions pour in from everyone around Mira.

The Normal Boots table was staring at her questioningly. Shane looked extremely confused, not to mention a bit anxious. He still had his phone in his hand, but it had turned itself off.

"Who was that?" Hana asked as Emmy sat down. "Did you know each other?"

"Oh, yeah, we do. She's in orchestra with me. She's a viola," Emmy explained, noticing as Shane sighed and looked back at his phone.

Jirard looked at her confused. "There sure is a lot of people from the same orchestra who go here. Is there a reason or just coincidence?"

"Well, the orchestra requires it's members to miss a year of schooling for the tour it holds every four years. There's only a few countries around the globe that accept student's education we get on tour as actual credits. This-" she gestured around her. "-is one of them." Emmy looked again at James and Owen sitting on their own, Owen listening quietly as James spoke. "Most students- example, Owen and James- just pay to get in. Same for myself. But there's a select few who manage to get full scholarships, people like Ethan. He was given a position here after qualifying for a college scholarship even though he planned on waiting on James to continue his schooling. Asagao offered Ethan a full pass into the school to raise the grade average, while James payed full tuition."

Satch nudged his glasses a bit, leaning forward a tad. "He's that smart, huh?"

Emmy nodded, dipping her spoon into her now lukewarm soup. "He was homeschooled by his dad, and they worked really quickly. His dad was a retired college professor who also graduated highschool quickly," she explained, taking a sip.

"Hmm," Shane hummed, never looking up from his phone. "Smartass."

Hana slapped him on the shoulder, causing him to lean away. "Rude!" she yell-whispered, but Shane just rolled his eyes. Hana glared him down for a second before looking Emmy in the eyes. "How do you deal with him so well, I'll never understand," she shook her head, smiling. A collective nod spread across the table.

"And you call me rude," Shane scoffed, turning out of his chair and shoving his phone into his pocket. He stalked out of the lunchroom, shoving the door open with his shoulder.

Most of the table made very little attempt to stop him, except for PBG who called out, "Come on! Shane!" as he left.

Emmy sighed, leaning her head against one of her hands with her elbow propped on the table. Everyone else seemed to shrug it off, continuing discussion quickly.

They didn't notice Emmy follow him out.

West was sitting, back propped against the side of the bleachers. He glanced down at his phone again, hoping the words might magically change.

 _Asagao Academy Track Meet - Cancelled_

Turns out there was a pretty bad storm at the event center, and a tree managed to fall in the track. They had to 'postpone' the meet, but West knew from experience that 'postpone' at Asagao just meant 'Better luck with the next one'.

He'd been dismissed from class already, and he didn't really have a reason to go back since he'd already done all the work, so instead he chose to just sit outside. He didn't want to go back to his dorm since it just smelled like shit, and it was still way too bright out to hang out in the alleyway, so the field was the best bet.

West watched a few groups of people sitting out on the lawn, even watching as a small swarm of kids ran off outside of the school gates. He had a small boxed lunch in his lap, and he poked at it aimlessly. He'd made it himself, of course, but it just didn't seem very appealing at that moment.

He was scared half to death at sudden stomping and grumbling coming from on top of the bleachers. West moved to look, but when he almost dropped the box, he suddenly stood up and hit his head on a beam. Whoever was on the bleachers made a weird mix of a scoff and a confused exhale.

"Uhh, is someone there?" the kid called out, West recognizing who it was. He stood up completely, a half-spilled lunch in one hand. Shane was sitting hunched over on the top step, arms crossed. His face grew more confused as West stood up. "Who are you?"

"West," he replied, balancing the box on the railing. "I thought it was lunchtime right now? Shouldn't you be eating?"

Shane just made a frown in response, turning away from West. After a moment, West turned to leave when he heard, "Why were you sitting there?"

West looked back, stopping. "I don't have class today. Track meet was cancelled and I did all the work already. What about you?"

"Just… crowded," Shane dodged the question, glaring at West confused. "Wait, you're the kid from the alleyway, right?"

Chuckling, West rang his hands together. "Yeah sorry about that, didn't mean to get half-seas over," he shrugged, getting a confused look from Shane. "Er, uh, zozz- I mean, drunk. Yeah," he stuttered, running his hands through his hair.

Shane stared him down for a moment before rolling his eyes.

"I didn't do anything stupid, right?" West went up a step, Shane not moving a muscle. "Sorry if I did."

He shook his head. "But you said a bunch of hippy bullshit and called me…" he stalled, thinking it over in his head. "Mr. Flower."

West laughed, sitting a few feet away from Shane on the top bench. The boy jerked his head at the laughter. "Well, you're the gardener, aren't cha? That's probably why," he shrugged.

Shane looked even more confused. "How did you know I-"

"Remember a few weeks ago? With Owen?" West explained, fingers knotting into the hem of his shirt. "I figured it out from there."

"But there were two other students with me, how come you didn't think of them?" Shane pressed, leaning closer on the bench. His glare was icy, but it seemed to just bounce off West easily.

He began tapping his legs. "You mean Au- I mean PBG and Jeff? You think those two could care for literally anything, much less something like the flowers on that rooftop. Plus, didn't you leave your jacket up there one morning? I found it while I was scrubbing off that paint, I believe."

Shane gaped before huffing and crossing his arms. "Why were you cleaning up _her_ mess?" West shrugged. "And how'd you know it was my jacket?"

West froze for a second, glancing over at Shane. "I don't know, it looked like your body type. Plus, there was a bunch of graphite stuck to the sleeves, and you're the only one of them in art class."

"How do _you_ know I'm in art class?"

"I'm in it too," West quirked an eyebrow. "I'm in _your_ class."

Shane coughed, crossing his arms. He didn't respond, just let it hang in the air for a while. Then he muttered, "I'm just mad, okay?"

West tilted his head. "About what?"

"Just…" Shane trailed off, eyes locked on the fence along the field. "Life feels all fucked up, I guess. Like things are happening that shouldn't."

West blinked. Shane saw from the corner of his eye as West looked at his hands and back to Shane. He mouthed something before Shane could turn his attention back. "I… yeah, in a way it kinda is," West whispered, making Shane unfurl his hands that he didn't even know he was clenching.

"Why do I know you?!" Shane yelled, making West fall off the bench suddenly. Shane's voice was scratched, but it wasn't mad. Just… confused.

West swallowed, shifting back onto the bench, a bit closer this time. "You don't," West looked away. "Not me, anyways. Not West. You're just remembering me vaguely from art class or something.

"I…" Shane started, cutting himself off. West wasn't facing him anymore. "Why aren't you looking at me?" he hissed, scooting over on the bench. "Look at me," he demanded, but West's head stayed locked in one direction. "Look at me, goddamnit-!"

He tried turning West around by the shoulder, but the boy flinched away. Shane felt how frail he was even in that short moment, suddenly noticing all the bruises and bumps all over his legs and arms.

"Wh-"

"Poor circulation," West brought his legs up to his chest, placing his head onto his knees. "Been like this since I was a kid. I just bruise easily."

Shane glanced at West's spine stabbing through his shirt. His shoulderblades did the same. "Why are you lying?" Shane muttered, placing his hand in his lap. West glanced at him before sighing and standing up.

"I don't see why _you_ care. Mr. Stoic, Mr. No-Nonsense, Mr. I-Don't-Give-a-Shit. You…" West trailed off, slouching. "Why now? Why not back when I actually tried to be your friend? What about me now do… do you actually care about," West closed his eyes, crossing his arms. "Why was it always _no_?"

 _West glanced across the artroom, eyes lifting from the sketches in front of him. He saw Shane sitting by himself, drawing from a set of photos like what West was doing. Around the room stood pairs of people, each taking turns alternating through different poses to sketch._

 _He gathered all of his supplies and slowly walked across the room, standing a few feet away from where Shane stood before walking up to the chair._

" _H-hi," West smiled, the boy looking up slowly. "U-uhm, do you think you'd like to be par-"_

" _I'm fine by myself," Shane muttered, turning back to the photos. West stood for a moment before backing off._

 _He opened his mouth to say something, but instead he just turned and walked back to his seat._

 _A few weeks later, there was a project the teacher required a partner on. West didn't really have any friends, especially not in the art class, and he assumed neither did Shane since he didn't talk to anyone._

 _He had to work with him this time!_

 _But when West walked up, Shane took one glance before quickly standing up and walking across the room to the teacher. He asked him something before showing him a paper from his pocket. The teacher scanned it before nodding, sending Shane back to his seat. Shane glared at West as he sat down._

" _Sorry, I'm working alone."_

 _This cycle continued for every project. Shane would always work alone, never even listening to West before waving him off._

 _West eventually gave up trying._

"I don't… what are you talking about?" Shane blinked, West slowly backing off.

West just sighed, tugging on the collar of his track shirt. "Whatever, I'll be taking a gasper. You know where I am, if you fucking care," the boy stalked off, snatching his lunch off the bleachers.

Shane thought he'd be more mad. He didn't even know what this kid was yelling at him about, but he seemed pretty defeated. But he felt more… tired, than anything. He wasn't sure.

But what he was sure about was that West was obviously hiding something. Shane knew for a fact he wasn't in his art class.

It was only girls.

Emmy never found Shane, ending up alone on the rooftop.

Well, almost alone.

Nialle was up there, legs swinging on the flower box. She waved at Emmy with a small smile, tapping the seat next to her.

"Why aren't you at lunch? Don't you sit with those popular kids?" Nialle asked, knotting her fingers in her lap. Emmy noticed that her fingernails were incredibly long, painted a shimmery gold.

"I was looking for someone. You?" Emmy turned the question on her, twirling a loose strand of hair in her fingers.

Nialle shrugged. "West usually sits with me, but I haven't seen him. The track meet was cancelled, but I don't think he's coming to classes today." The girl looked over at Emmy before quickly covering her mouth and coughing, hiding a laugh.

"W-what? What are you laughing at?" Emmy looked around, touching her face for something.

"Your hair, it's really messed up," Nialle smiled, pulling out her phone. Emmy heard the camera shutter sound before Nialle turned the phone around.

Her hair, once in a nice bun, was now all over the place. Small curls stood u0p in random places, and Emmy could swear she saw finger trails along part of it. "Mira must've done that. She has some… touch issues," she chuckled, tugging on her hair tie.

"Want some help?" Nialle offered, turning her body towards her. She sat cross-legged on the side. "I can braid it if you'd like?"

Emmy held out her hair tie. "Yeah, thanks. Haven't worn a braid in a while." Emmy turned around, feeling as Nialle combed through Emmy's hair with her fingers.

"It didn't happen to be Shane you were looking for, was it?" Nialle hummed, tugging at a knot. "I heard him yelling out on the bleachers a while ago, talking to some kid. He seemed pretty pissed."

Heaving a sigh, Emmy rolled her eyes. "I don't understand how someone can be so… wishy-washy. He's fine one day and super mean and cold the next. It's not even like Owen who's just in a constant state of Ready-To-Brawl, he's just… ugh."

"He seems to get along fine with you, though?" Nialle began braiding. Her voice was quiet, almost tired.

"I think he just feels bad about what happened," Emmy sighed, closing her eyes. She relished in the feeling of Nialle's fingernails grazing her scalp and neck, easing her tension. "He seems kinda, well... fake, I guess. Like, I can tell that sometimes we can get along, but he'll suddenly drop the mood out of nowhere."

She could practically hear Nialle nod. "West can be like that sometimes. He'll be talking about things normally before talking about things that never happened. Like I think he said something about us getting ice cream and they accidentally gave me double or something? But we haven't gotten ice cream like, ever," she pursed her lips, tying off the braid. "There you go."

Emmy turned back to Nialle, who had out her phone. She turned it around to show Emmy. Nialle had placed a flower in between the hair tie. "Cute," Emmy chuckled, shaking her head a bit. She felt the braid swing like a pendulum. Nialle beamed, turning off her phone.

"Speaking of ice cream, do you wa-" Nialle started, but her voice was cut off by a stampede of footsteps approaching the door. "What's ha-"

The door pushed open to reveal the entirety of the Normal Boots club, including Shane. PBG and Jon stood at the front. "Sorry, gotta steal your lunch buddy for a bit!" PBG smiled at Nialle before nodding to the group. They swarmed forward, picking Emmy up and lifting her over their heads.

"Wh- guys? Where are we going? Guys waTCH OUT FOR THE DOORWAY!" she yelled, narrowly missing getting decapitated. Paul managed to drop her back and make her swing down for a second to dodge it. "YOU GUYS ARE ACTING INSANE!"

"We are!" they collectively yelled, bumping down the stairs.

Emmy made noises of despair, yelling out between steps, "TALK TO YOU LATER NIALLE! OW! WATCH YOUR NAILS JOSH!"

The group quickly made their way outside, almost immediately passing a swarm of what looked like bumble bees. Ethan stood out in front, propped up on Luke's shoulders. "Oh! Have fun, Emmy!" he laughed, Emmy just raising her hand in the air.

She watched as they ran around the side of Primrose, past the few remaining boxes from the orchestra performance and to the back. They gently laid her down on a blanket. She sat up and looked around, but all she saw was their legs. "Can someone _please explain_ ," she whined.

They looked between each other before Jirard smiled and stood back, his footsteps going a few feet away before coming back. He had two plastic bags in each hand. He sat down, followed by everyone else.

"Well, it's a tradition to give the new members little gifts from what we know about them! Like, when Shane joined pretty much everyone gave him art supplies," Jirard chuckled, getting a nod from the boy in question. "And I gave Hana an IBK."

Hana smiled, holding out her hands to Jirard. "I'll go first, since I'm the newest." Jirard dug through one of the bags and pulled out a smaller gift bag, tied off with red ribbon. The paper inside was pink. "Did you color coordinate these? That's so cute!" she squealed, taking the bag from Jirard. He nodded.

"Well, from what I can tell, you wear glasses at night, but you keep them halfway across your room, so…" she handed Emmy the bag. She untied it and pulled out the paper to reveal a small wall-mounted shelf. "I thought you could mount it by your bed for glasses and stuff."

Emmy clutched it to her chest. "T-thank you! That's very thoughtful…"

Hana smiled back, looking across the circle at someone behind Emmy. "Are we going to continue what I did or…?"

PBG raised his hand from next to her. "I wanna go!"

"Let's go around the circle then," Jirard offered, handing PBG a black and white box.

The boy gave Emmy some small felt bins for her closet, while Paul, Nick and Josh all gave her a large set of folders. Jirard himself gave her a giant bag of caramels, something she always brought to lunch, which was followed by Jon giving her a set of tupperware and Satch giving her a better glasses case.

Next up was Shane.

"Well, uh, I don't know how to say this without sounding creepy but," he shrugged, handing out the package. "Here." Emmy tore open the paper, wrapped in blue with a black bow, to reveal a set of photo frames. "I saw a bunch of photos in your closet and on your desk. There was also the uh…" he glanced up. " _That_ one, and it seemed like you enjoy things in frames, so-"

"Thank you," Emmy whispered with a nod. "It's perfect."

Shane flushed and turned away, crossing his arms. "Just don't ruin any more pictures, okay?"

Jared finished the gifts with two in his arms. "Here's the first one. You seem to wear your hair up a lot, so I thought some ribbons would look nice," he smiled, watching as Emmy pulled out a rainbow assortment of hair ribbons. Before she could respond, he held out the second one. Unlike the others, it had no bow, just a sticker with the club's logo on it. "From all of us."

Emmy pulled the paper off to reveal a plain white box. Everyone had signed the lid. She pulled it off.

"Is that…" she reached inside, pulling out a folded piece of clothing. "My… my jacket?" she looked around before turning back. Emmy turned it in her hands, feeling the soft fabric on her fingers. Looking on the inside, she saw _Emmy Wadetin_ writen on a sewn-in name tag.

Jared took it from her and pulled it over her shoulders. The club spoke up as one.

"Welcome Emmy!"

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	28. Chapter Twenty Eight - titleunknown021

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 **Playing [Wadetin, Emmy - 28 - titleunknown.021]**

Nialle sighed, leaning her head against her hand as she sat in the lunchroom. Her gaze was fixated towards a table swarmed with green, specifically to the back of another girl's head. A new jacket was pulled over the girl's shoulders, one that hadn't been there the day before.

West sat next to Nialle, back in his normal uniform. He turned a sandwich over in his hands, periodically taking a bite. This cycle continued until he spoke up, "Nialle?"

She barely heard him, more focused on Emmy's laughing form alongside the others. Nialle jumped as a moving blob waved in front of her face, pulling her attention back to the boy to her right.

"You okay?" he whispered, eyes slightly panicked. "You seem a bit... out of it?" West ended it with a question, hand placed over her shoulder to keep her facing him.

Nialle nodded. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it. I was just... thinking," she responded vaguely, glancing back towards the other table.

A loud snap drew her eyes back. "Doll, you look tired. Did you sleep okay? Please tell me if something's wrong," he scrunched his eyebrows together, his lip pulling up in a worried frown.

"Yeah, I just..." Nialle slowed, sighing. West moved his hand back to the table, the tips of his fingers dancing over the back of her hand. "Remember when I talked about that kid I had a crush on?" West nodded, facial features relaxing. Nialle jerked her chin towards the other table. "They're over there."

West looked at her, puzzled. "Wait, but... you're... you're a lesbian?"

Nialle raised her eyebrows.

"But that means it's either Hana, Mai, or Emmy? Right?" West asked. Nialle slowly nodded, letting him slowly catch up. He looked more panicked than before. "I-it's Emmy isn't it?"

She chewed against her bottom lip, shrugging. "I guess, but that's kinda the problem."

"Why's that a problem?" West blinked, hand finally moving from her hand to reach into his pocket. Nialle could see him fidget with something inside from the corner of her vision. "I'm pretty sure Owen said she was "Hella Gay" or something, so what's the issue?"

"She's obviously into Shane is the issue!" Nialle shouted under her breath, leaning in closet to West. He looked unfazed.

"How can you tell?" he whispered, his voice wavering faintly. Nialle caught it only from the fact they were sat mere inches away.

She sighed deeply, shoving back away so she hovered over her food again. "I can just... tell, alright? She talked about him yesterday and kept looking around for him and-"

"But what if she doesn't, Nialle?" West sounded just as amazed as her at the idea. His gray-blue eyes were pulled up by a faint smile playing at his mouth. "You still have a chance! You have a... have..." West trailed off, his smile stretching. His eyes unfocused from Nialle, staring down at his pocket. "...a chance."

Nialle attempted to say something, but West immediately jumped into a new topic. She listened halfheartedly as he went on about his idea for a 20s-style school dance, her sight following as Emmy stood up, jogging quickly over to another table. She hugged a blonde-haired boy from behind, lifting him up from his seat. The two laughed as she let him down, and Nialle smiled at the joyful look on her face.

At least she was happy.

West pulled on her sleeve a few minutes later, his ranting already ceased. "We're about to leave. I'll take your trash," he told her, placing her tray on top of his own. His sandwich, the only thing he'd bought, lay half-eaten on the bottom.

Nialle stood up, gathering both of their books off the floor. She held his out for him in one hand, him taking them in both. The two walked almost side-by-side until another boy walked up and dragged West to the side. He was average height, dark brown hair and eyes. The only "unusual" thing Nialle saw was the fact his nails were painted a striking hot pink.

Ryan was West's roommate, that much Nialle knew. She got along with him fairly well, though they weren't in the same class seeing that he was a first-year.

The two had applied to be roommates after meeting at some cooking class West had taken over the summer. Ryan matched his quiet personality, but not quite his optimism, and tending to shy away from having many close friends. Nialle helped him study sometimes while hanging out with West, normally when West stepped out to smoke or make a snack.

She was left alone to walk back to Poppy Hall, but didn't get very far before a hand closed tightly over her wrist.

She reeled around to see Shane standing wide-eyed behind her.

"I, er, you're uh, friends with West?" he stuttered, pulling his hand away quickly to mirror his other stuffed into his pocket. Nialle nodded, confused. "Can I... talk to you later? On the roof?"

Crossing her arms, Nialle shifted her weight to her other foot. "Why?"

"I just..." Shane blinked, obviously not expecting a retort. "Have... questions?"

Nialle raised an eyebrow, scowling. The kid sounded genuine, yes, but she'd never really liked him. West didn't seem to either. But she reluctantly huffed, "Fine. After class, Poppy Hall rooftop. But I have somewhere to be shortly after."

That was a lie. She never had anywhere to be. But Shane nodded quickly before striding off, his head facing straight ahead.

Fucking weirdo.

Nialle gathered her stuff slowly as the bell rang. She yelled a muffled, "Go back without me!" to Owen as she walked towards the stairwell. Owen made a sound of okay that Nialle barely caught before pushing up the stairs. The crowd of fourth years threatened to push her back down, but her feet managed to get her past them and to the door of the roof. She heard footsteps behind her and saw Shane slowly walking up, head turned towards the floor. Nialle pushed open the door, holding it open as the boy walked through without saying a word.

Rude.

He sat down on a bench opposite of the door, Nialle following. She sat a good three feet away, balancing on the edge.

"So?" Nialle huffed, her shoe tapping on the cement.

Shane sighed. "So," he started, his head turned away from her. His hair looked ruffled and hot, most likely from the heatwaves that kept popping up. He shook it around with his hand. "West and I... talked, yesterday. He seemed... a bit off, I guess?"

"Like what?" Nialle scoffed, crossing her ankles. "You need to be a bit more specific."

"He was just... he seemed mad? But when I tried to figure out why he kept telling me about things that never happened. He said he was in my art class," Shane paused. "He's not in an art class, right?"

Nialle leaned back, glancing at the ground below. Students scattered around the lawn, most pushing into other buildings in swarms. "No, he's not. We take study lab during your class block anyways," she saw Shane's eyes widen. "Don't ask, West told me. He knew my schedule before I did, probably sees them early or something. That or he's broken into the school's system. I honestly wouldn't be surprised."

Shane was frozen for a moment before nodding slightly. "Well, I was wondering if you knew why he thought that... stuff, I guess, happened?"

"Hallucinogens," Nialle frowned, wrapping her arms around herself. "At least, that's what I always guessed. He does it to me all the time. He has a drug problem, he's addicted to these prescription drugs. I'm pretty sure they give him some hallucinations or lucid dreams," she kept her head towards the ground, but she felt Shane staring at her shoulder. "I've tried to help him, keep him steady, but... he won't listen. Says he needs them, that he'll die without them, but I think they're what's really killing him. He... he has obsession issues. If he wants to know or do something, by god nothing's gonna stand in his way. I've seen him do some crazy shit and..." she rubbed her face with both her hands. "And he's falling apart."

Nialle finally looked up to see Shane staring up at the sky. He had his jacket hugged to his chest like a pillow, and one of his shoes had been pulled off by the other foot. "So he's... its drugs..." he whispered, blinking. "H-how long?"

"He says three years, which seems about right," Nialle replied, pulling her knees up to her chest. "He's tearing himself apart..."

Shane suddenly stood up, reeling around to face her. "How does he take them?!" he yelled, jacket clenched still to his chest. "Is it a shot? A pill? What- how does he take them?"

Nialle stared at him before shaking her head. "I don't know, he always steps out to take them," she muttered, confused. "Why?"

"How often does he smoke?" Shane whispered, taking a step forward. "Is it once a day?"

Thinking it over, Nialle nodded. "He... he always smokes. What does that have to-"

"It's the cigarettes," Shane muttered, his jacket dropping to one hand. The other went to his forehead. "It's... there's no... how?" Shane muttered, stumbling backwards. Nialle shot up and caught him, helping him sit on the edge of a flower box.

"Wh-what's going on?" Nialle shook his shoulder, leaning down in front of him. "What do you know?"

The boy blinked, the jacket falling to the floor. Nialle caught it as it began drifting away in the wind. "I... there was a group I knew of, back in... back in Europe. They used cigarettes to give members drugs, but..." Shane's eyes finally fell back on Nialle's face, wild and confused. "But he's..."

Nialle shook the still boy, trying desperately to keep him focused. "Shane, c'mon, what's-"

"He's dead," Shane whined, head falling into his arms. "He's the only one I knew and he's dead and I... I know West has to know who he was... he has to, I..." Shane broke down, falling from the box to the floor. Nialle caught him, placing her arms under his and hoisting him up.

"Hey, calm down. It's okay, you need to lay down," Nialle whispered, hauling him towards the door. Shane continued to make muttered half-phrases as they walked through the field, catching the attention of another boy sat just a few feet away.

The other quickly ran up, catching Shane's other arm as e looked at him for answers. "What happened? Shane?" Jirard shook him gently, taking him out of Nialle's hands. The boy looked up at Nialle with a worried smile. "Thank you, but... what's happened to Shane?"

"I think he needs rest," Nialle ran a hand down Shane's back as Jirard picked him up. The smaller lazily wrapped his legs around Jirard before seemingly falling asleep. "He seems a bit... unstable right now. But if he says he wants to talk to me when he wakes up..." Nialle pulled a piece of notebook paper from her bag, writing quickly her number along the top in pen. She handed it to Jirard. "Give this to him. Or call me if you think I'm needed."

Jirard smiled, bowing his head. "Thank you, thank you so much!" he paused, blinking. "Sorry, I don't think I got your name?"

"It's Nialle," she smiled, tugging at her sleeve. "Nialle Rowe. I'm Owen's roommate."

Jirard beamed, slowly backing up towards the boys dorm. "Thanks again Nialle! I'll make sure Shane sleeps. Have a good day!" he called out, turning around to walk through the doors into Bluebell. Nialle waved slowly after him as she went by herself into the alleyway connecting Bluebell and Primrose. A window in the very back stood propped half open, and she lifted it to reveal both West and Ryan sitting on the former's bed. They looked up, waving for Nialle to step in.

She pushed through, grabbing the edge of the window and snapping it shut.

"West, we need to talk."

West sat in the silence of his room, the only noise being the faint breathing of Ryan who laid curled up in his bed. The moonlight was almost nonexistent, West doing all his work from the light of his laptop screen.

A stack of papers, all stapled together, sat open on his desk. He flipped through the pages, scanning the many lines of bold text. There was a metallic sticker reading "Confidential" along the top corner of every page.

As he lazily read the many lines of numeric codes, a subtle thump sounded outside his window. It made him jump, dropping the pages he was holding. The booklet folded shut, West heaving a frustrated sigh.

Pushing up from his chair, West crossed the room, peering out the window. It took him a moment to see the frame of a boy sat below his window.

He could barely see him, and it didn't help that he seemed to be folded into himself. He had an oversized jacket pulled over his shoulders that reflected a muted blue in the moonlight. There was a name embroidered into the back.

 _James._

West tapped on the window, causing the boy to squeal and lurch forward, quickly turning around. Through his window he put a name to the face.

It sure as hell wasn't Ethan.

Prying open the window, West stepped out, the other boy scooting back into the opposite wall. He had the hood pulled over his head, shadowing most of his face. But West saw the emerald green in his eyes.

"Why are you out here?" West whispered, sitting down. Ethan shuffled, bowing his head so the hood fell even farther over his face. His bleach blond hair fell down over his forehead. His hands were shaking, clutching a letter in his hand. West pointed at it. "What's that for?"

Ethan remained silent, glancing at the letter before placing it on the ground between them. West picked it up gently, realizing it was already opened. Well, torn in half.

There was a formerly crumpled piece of paper loosely taped together stuck inside. West glanced up, noticing that Ethan was looking at the mouth of the alley instead of him. He took it as a sign that he was meant to read it.

The handwriting was near incomprehensible since it was crumpled, but West smoothed it out and began reading.

 _Hey Luke._

 _I'm sorry that I'm talking to you through a letter but… I was a bit to nervous to say it to your face haha. You're a bit intimidating to me._

 _Not in a bad way! You're just so nice all the time! I feel like even if I said something to make you upset, you'd start apologizing to me. I guess that's why I'm telling you this all through a letter._

 _I think you're really nice, Luke. Coming here was really hard- I've never been to a school without my parents teaching me since I was super young- but you all made it feel like I still had all of my family._

 _Especially you._

 _I really, really like you Luke._

 _Will you go out to dinner with me sometime?_

 _Sorry if that's a bit jarring, but I really just want to peel off the plaster now and not wait. If you're uncomfortable, that's fine! It can be a friendly dinner if you want. I just… really like hanging out with you._

 _I left my room number on the back since I don't think I ever gave it to you. If you want, you can come talk to me in person. Or over the phone. Either works!_

 _Sorry again for the letter. I didn't think I'd be able to say it straight to your face ;;_

 _-Ethan_

West glanced up, dropping the letter from his face. Ethan hand his hand out, and West handed the letter over. Ethan seemed to read through it as he spoke. "I went to slide this under his door tonight. I got to his door and heard him talking and-" Ethan sobbed, the letter crumpling under his tight grip. He pulled it to his heart. "And… he was t-talking to Jimmy a-and he… he…" The small boy swallowed. "He likes Ian."

Ethan pulled the hood from his head. "I started crying. I think they heard me, cause while I was running off, I heard a door open. But I had this jacket on, so they won't know it was me," Ethan muttered, clutching a handful of fabric in one of his hands. The torn envelope fluttered in a breeze, slowly dancing towards the lawn. "I just…"

West scooted to the opposite wall, Ethan involuntarily placing his head on his shoulder. His whole body felt cold, even through the jacket. Ethan seemed to push into West's shoulder for a moment before lifting his head to the sky.

"I thought it'd be easier than this. It's never been this hard," he whispered, tucking his legs into the body of his jacket. The two sat for a moment, West aimlessly drawing lines in the dust on the floor. He looked up suddenly when a figure moved in his window.

Ryan was leaning on the window sill, a blanket hung over his shoulder. His head was tilted, drowsy and puzzled. "West? Who's that?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. His voice sounded like barbed wire, giving away how tired he was.

Ethan blinked up at him, trying to see him in the dark. All he saw was the outline of the boy's hair, which stuck up in all directions. The blanket around his shoulders blew out the window slightly, fluttering silently.

"It's… ah, it's…" West glanced at Ethan, and while Ethan first assumed he'd forgotten his name, West blinked for a moment before continuing. "Ethan. One of Owen's friends. He was just… talking to me." West looked back at his roommate, flashing one last glance at Ethan. "He couldn't sleep. Neither could I."

The boy looked over at Ethan before swinging his legs out the window. West raised his hand to oppose, but Ryan plopped down next to him, dragging West's arm back down. His hand remained on West's for a while, drawing circles around his knuckles as the three sat in silence. West eventually tapped Ryan's hand with his other free one, grabbing it as if he was going to pull it away.

He didn't.

Ethan watched the two murmur to each other almost silently, West slowly inching away from him and towards the other. He shuddered into his hoodie, crossing his arms for the time they spoke.

Ryan suddenly stood up, his blanket dragging on the ground. He stepped past West and kneeled down in front of Ethan. "Hey," he whispered, holding out his hand. "West tells me you're pretty upset. I have a feeling you aren't going back to your dorm, are you?"

Ethan shook his head.

"Well, we have a sofa if you'd like to stay with us?" the boy smiled, twitching his hand to draw Ethan's attention. "If you don't want to, I'll help take you somewhere you'd rather stay."

Frozen, Ethan stared blankly at Ryan's hand before muttering, "W-what's your name, exactly?"

Chuckling, Ryan tugged on his blanket. "Ryan. I'm this loser's roommate," he kicked out weakly at West, who retorted by knocking Ryan's foot away with his own. His eyes quickly went back to Ethan. "Well?"

"I…" Ethan spoke into the fabric of the hoodie, Ryan holding out his hand once again. After taking a breath, Ethan took the other boy's hand, letting him be dragged up. Right as he stood, Ryan quickly draped the blanket over his head.

"You looked a bit chilled," he explained, leading Ethan to the window. West watched him lead him inside before him roommate turned around, now in the room. "Coming?"

West shook his head, faintly smiling. "I'll be a minute," he stood up, crossing across the short distance to lean on the window. "Can you hand me my phone?"

Ryan nodded, quickly pacing to and from West's desk and passing him the small box. "Don't take too long. I'll keep the window unlocked, but I'll probably be up."

"Thanks," West nodded, turning towards the end of the lalley. He heard the window slowly shutting and turned around quickly. "Wait! Ryan," he spoke just loud enough to get the boy's attention. His roommate stuck his head through the crack between the windowsill in acknowledgment. "Don't worry about breakfast tomorrow, I'll handle it."

Ryan beamed. "Thanks, dude. Don't be long."

"I won't," West turned, waving behind him as he jogged off.

The lawn was clear, no teacher in sight. He broke into a sprint, running towards the field, running it's full length before pausing before the fence. He pulled out his phone, openning a flashlight before stuffing it into his pocket. He reached up, grasping the top of the fence and swiftly hauled himself over. He landed with practiced precision, stepping into the trees and pulling out his phone once again.

He walked swiftly, further into the dark. He was suddenly met by a near empty clearing, only filled with a few small shrubs and trees. A bright white lights met his, coming from the opposite woods.

"Who is it?" West called out, scanning the dark with his phone's light. "Why'd you call?"

A silhouette appeared, the other light blinding West before it disappeared. West aimed his light at the other as they stepped fully into the open.

He couldn't see what they looked like due to fabric covering most of their body, but he could see their eyes over their mask. "Do you really not recognize me? I'm a bit offended," they teased, causing West to shake his head. "Huh. Well, maybe this'll jog your memory."

They reached into a bag hung on their shoulder, tossing a stack of papers at West's feet. He picked it up, reading along the top.

 **Tier One Admin Codes**

He dropped the papers to one hand, suddenly jerking his head up to meet the stare of the other. "Twenty-One?"

"West," they chuckled, crossing their arms. "Long time no see."

 **ID "West" has accessed**

…

 **Help me**

 **Please come back**

 **I know you're there**

 **You aren't dead**

 **I'm sorry**

 **I didn't mean it**

 **Help me get out**

 **This is a nightmare**

 **This wasn't worth it**

 **I'm lost**

…

 **I'm scared, Akara**

 **I didn't mean it**

 **Is he going to die?**

 **Am I going to die?**

 **I hope so**

…

 **It was meant to be me**

 **Not you**

 **I'm sorry**


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine - Insomnia

' **The_Author' left a message**

" **.021 was written in part by Author 020. Due to this, errors in writing did occur. We apologize for any time inconvenience this has caused."**

…

 **Openning .021**

Ethan sat on the floor of Ryan's room, looking around at the furniture while the other boy grabbed another blanket. The bunk bed was slotted into the wall, the ladder draped in hanging decorations like beads and ribbon. The top bunk had colorful red, orange and yellow sheets with the red ribbon hung along the side board. The bottom bunk had plain gray sheets and a single red pillow monogrammed black. Ethan couldn't read the monogram from where he sat.

Ryan began throwing the couch cushions to the side before pulling out the cot. "Did that come with the room?" Ethan joked, crossing his ankles in front of him. The other boy chuckled, throwing the white blanket in his hands over the new bed.

"I brought all the furniture," Ryan shrugged, leaning down to toss pillows towards the headboard. "West doesn't have much money." Ethan got a weird feeling in the back of his head, as if he'd heard otherwise but didn't know where from. But looking at one of the desk, it was pretty obviously true seeing that there was hardly anything on it other than a cheap laptop and stacks of paper.

The room was relatively well-kept, but nothing Ethan was overly surprised about. He noticed the large tapestry hung on the wall near the bed. It looked hand-made, and old, with torn seams along the edges. A black rabbit stood in the center, surrounded by various patterns. Was shown from the side, with only one eye visible that had a thin white ring around it.

"That yours too?" Ethan pointed to the tapestry, Ryan glancing towards it. "It's pretty… unique?"

Ryan rolled his eyes, smiling. "No, that's West. One ofthe few things he actually brought," the boy sat in front of Ethan, a small container in his hands that Ethan had managed to miss. As he began slowly prying off the top, he continued to speak. "He says it dates back to the 1910s. Made by one of his ancestors. His family's from America, apparently they were super famous in the 1920s for swing dancing. He showed me all these old newspapers he got to keep after his parents kicked him out to here.

"His family was well-renowned until his great-grandfather or something disappeared. Most people say he left after his wife had an affair since he didn't want children. They aren't related, but they were never legally divorced since she couldn't bring herself to do it unless he came back, which he didn't. They also lost whatever fame they had when a race scandal appeared in the 1950s where someone in their family became overly aggressive towards peaceful protestors and was villainized after the movement was over."

Ethan blinked, processing. Ryan placed the finally open box on the floor between them. It was full of nail polish bottles.

"I saw you wore nail polish," Ryan pointed to Ethan's hand, where Ethan noticed they both were wearing it. "I have ugly-ass nails, so I prefer the look of hot pink," Ryan smiled.

Ethan hummed, gently digging through the box. "That's quite the story," he started, chuckling under his breath. "Pretty cool though. My history's pretty meh. We basically are this super long line of teachers, apparently back all the way to possibly ancient Greece. It's believed we're the outfall of a very little-known philosopher, quite possibly from either exile or just no one giving a shit."

Ryan laughed, pulling a cotton ball from a bag and pouring some nail polish remover on top. "Yeah, mine's pretty lame too. The only relatively famous guy I can think of is this guy who fought in some ancient war. There was a journal, I guess." He passed Ethan the bottle of acetone with the back of his hand, pushing across the floor.

The two talked about other random topics before landing on their siblings, somehow. The conversation would halt sometimes when one or both of them got too focused on painting their nails than speaking.

"So," Ethan ended a silence that had been dragging on. "What are you and West, exactly?"

Ryan looked at him, confused. "Well we met just before the school year started in a cooking class. He didn't know anyone here so we-"

"Like, are you two dating?" Ethan cut him off, getting a choke from the other. The look the other gave him made Ethan quietly apologize.

Shaking his head, Ryan made a sound in the back of his throat. "It's- ah- not like that. He's like, just my friend," he rubbed the back of his neck. "He's just- uh, West's just touchy. He has trouble grounding himself, so it's easier for him to listen if you just touch him a bit. I think it can help his ADHD since he can fidget with your hand or whatever."

"Oh," Ethan whispered, chuckling nervously. "Sorry, it wasn't supposed to sound rude."

"You're fine," Ryan smiled, shaking his left hand to help dry the polish. He seemed to think something over before continuing, "What about you? Got a girlfriend?"

Ethan frowned, shaking his head. He tapped the fingers of his dry hand against the coarse carpet. His eyes jumped around the room before landing on a set of photos he could barely see hung up on the wall. "I… I was asking a boy out tonight. It didn't work out. S-so, uhm, so no."

"Ah, sorry bro," Ryan scrunched his eyebrows, tensing his face. He glanced around, looking for something to change the topic. "I like your earrings," he finally spoke, moving to paint his other hand.

Ethan noticed him struggling a bit, reaching out his hand. "Need help?" he offered, pulling Ryan's hand towards him and continuing where he'd left off. "I've had my earrings for about 3 years. Don't really take them out much."

"There a reason you have three on one and two on the other?" Ryan ped on his phone with his free hand, typing out something.

"Nah, I just like the aesthetic. Plus cartilage piercings are a bitch on my ears, almost got infected the first time," Ethan continued painting, poking out his tongue in concentration. That got a small laugh from the other boy.

Ryan placed his phone down, quiet hip-hop playing out of the speaker. "Sorry, had to text my parents. They're in Africa visiting some family, so I can't talk to them often."

"You're fine," Ethan smiled, suddenly realizing he'd been aimlessly rubbing circles around the back of Ryan's hand. He stopped, moving to lightly blow on his hand to dry the polish. Ryan snickered. "So are you from Africa?"

"My parents are, but they immigrated to Africa with my Grammy. I was born in New Jersey, but we ended up moving to Alabama when I was about 3. Lived there all my life," he explained. "My parents really wanted me to study abroad, but the only language I was fluent in aside from English was Japanese since I'd taken classes all throughout middle school."

Ethan nodded, "I probably should have guessed you were American. You have a bit of an accent."

Rolling his eyes, Ryan pointed a finger at the other. "Have you heard yourself? You sound insanely French," Ethan jokingly scoffed, dropping the other boy's hand.

"I'll have you know I'm proud of my heritage, for I eat twenty baguettes dipped in red wine every morning while wearing my beret and making scale-model replicas of the Eiffel Tower out of toothpicks," Ethan placed a hand over his heart, gesturing to himself. "Oui oui mon ami, je m'appelle Ethan, je suis français."

"It upsets me that I didn't know what half of that meant," Ryan moved to stand, being careful to avoid messing up his nails. He moved to his desk and gently picked up his keys, dangling them from his ring finger. "Speaking of baguette, do you want to come steal West's food?"

Ethan tilted his head before nodding, Ryan helping him stand up. He tried teaching Ryan basic French sayings as they moved out into the halls, but he kept confusing "je m'appelle" and "je suis", and ended up repeating the phrase "My name is American" over and over again as Ethan tried to hold back a laugh.

They reached the hallway leading to the kitchen when Ryan made a sound in confusion. "Huh, look, the light's already on," the boy pointed to the doorway leading in, taking note of the yellow light pouring into the hall. "I guess someone beat us to it."

"I bet it's Ian. Apparently he has a giant stock of these frozen American meals in the freezer," Ethan smiled into his jacket.

"You mean Child Cooking? Those awful boxed dinners?" Ryan raised his eyebrows. Ethan nodded back. "I heard the corn was pretty solid, but the pudding tastes like shit. How'd he get those anyways?"

Ethan didn't have time to respond. As they approached the doorway, the lights suddenly turned off and a student walked out of the doorway. He almost crashed right into the other two, catching himself on the doorway. "Woah! Uh, sorry, you guys going in?"

Ethan knew that voice anywhere.

The light came back on, revealing the boy in front of them. He was in pajama bottoms and a loose gray top. His hat covered most of his slightly visible bed head. "Wait, Ethan?" he whispered, confused. His face broke into a grin. "Hey dude! Whatchu getting into this late?"

"I'm ah, er," Ethan spluttered, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. "I just-"

"He came to my room to see West, but he wasn't there, so we were gonna go look in the kitchen. Seems he's not here, however," Ryan cut in, glancing down at Ethan. Luke looked at him before reaching out his hand. "Name's Ryan."

He grabbed Luke's hand, who shook it gently before crossing his arms. "Luke Sizemore. I'm one of Ethan's clubmates," he smiled, rocking back on his heels casually. Ethan still was folded into his jacket. Luke looked down at him, worried. "You okay, little dude?"

"Y-yeah!" Ethan jumped, looking up. "Yeah, just, uh…." he glanced around. "Just, just uhh…. A bit h-hungry! Yeah, that's it," his jacket hood was bunched around his shoulders. "B-but I guess you were just in there so you're probably leaving… right?"

Luke chuckled, shaking his head. "That'd be rude! Plus, I never got to eat anyways. Jimmy just needed me to run something to the fridge since he was working on a project."

"Wait, he hasn't finished?" Ryan gaped. "Dude, he's gonna get murdered by our teacher, that thing's due tomorrow."

"Oh! You're in Jimmy's class? So you're a first year?" Luke smiled, moving back to let Ryan and Ethan step through the doorway.

Ryan started moving. "Yeah! He sits in the row in front of me. We worked on a project together last semester with the two other kids near us," the two stepped into the kitchen, leaving Ethan standing in the hallway.

He froze a moment before slowly inching away from the door. _Maybe if I just run I can go back to my room and-_

"Ethan! You coming?" Luke stuck his head out the doorway, giving Ethan a big, toothy smile. Ethan's heart fluttered before sinking to his stomach.

He nodded, slowly stepping forward into the doorway, Luke guiding him inside with a hand on his back.

 _No going back now_.

"Ugh, sometimes these kids are so _boring_ ," 21 complained, typing away on a semi-transparent blue laptop. They were perched on top of a fallen tree, West flipping through a thick booklet a few feet away on the forest floor.

West looked up. "Who you watching?"

"Ethan, Ryan and Luke. Speaking of, they won't be back at your room, so don't worry about telling them about me…" they paused, mouth open as though they would continue, but they closed their mouth with a smirk. "No, it'll be far more entertaining."

"So, explain to me how this whole scenario is gonna be documented," West resumed reading, mumbling the lines to himself as he skimmed the many lines. "Do you just rewrite it later or…"

"My editors will do it. Things like this would be super easy for me to fake since I don't need perspective cameras," 21 tapped their foot on the ground, stirring up the small leaves as they blew towards West. One got caught in his hair, but he didn't move to take it out. "Probably 19, 20's a bit lazy."

West hummed, licking his thumb to turn the next page, "I thought 19 was some RED loyalist, why'd they stick around after Akara… well, you know?"

21 shrugged, closing the laptop and tossing it aside. It disappeared as it hit the floor. "Yeah, they are. But turns out this dimension has some mad Editor credit, so if they do a really good job as my editor, they'll get to move on as Author_157 since they were recently terminated."

"Wait, 157 got terminated? Why?" he closed the packet, placing it in 21's lap. They began flipping through the pages like a flip-book before stopping on a random page. "Oh, wait. Was it 72?"

21 nodded.

"Wow, what a _snitch_ ," West scoffed, leaning against the log. "Though I shouldn't be surprised. They did snitch on me for stealing water that one time. Belli really lashed me on that one," he chuckled half-heartedly. "What happened to Belli by the way?"

"One of Emily's goons got her. Happened to a bunch of the girls. Really sucks too. 37's documents got destroyed about it too. Too graphic," 21 sighed, passing the booklet back to West. "Here, this one'll help you break that firewall. Use it at 4:27 AM. That's when Admin resets the servers every day to check for new documents."

West took the papers back with a smile before pausing. "Aren't you gonna be terminated for this?"

"Timeline's corrupted. You already know that. I'm actually doing my job now more than ever, seeing that my specialty is corruption. This is just helping my cause," they smirked, leaning their body onto their knees. "Speaking of, you need to head back. Corruption's waiting for ya," they winked.

West rolled his eyes, standing up. "I have no clue what you're hinting at. But I really couldn't seeing that this timeline's so fucked up."

"True that, brother," 21 stood up, stretching out their back. "It's not gonna get any more sane in the next few weeks."

West stood up and started to move towards the edge of the clearing. He noticed a lack of footsteps behind him and turned around. "You coming?"

21 laughed. "Haha, funny joke. No, I'm not. This took enough out of me," they moved forward, standing less than a foot away from West. They didn't breath. They didn't blink. They didn't even seem to be alive.

Probably because they weren't.

"But a word of advice," 21 frowned, looking West in the eyes. "Don't go back anymore. I'll handle it," they whispered. "You're off the hook. Please, please don't go back anymore."

West blinked, slowly moving his hand to grab 21's wrist. "W-what? I'm confused. What do you mean you'll 'handle it'?"

They didn't respond.

"21?" he whispered, dropping his arm and stepping back. "What are you going to do?"

They didn't respond.

"Goddamn it, answer me!"

"...Don't... Don't worry. You'll be okay," they whispered, quickly walking backwards. "Just…" 21 pulled up their hood, stepping over the log and into the opposite tree line. "Don't panic."

West watched them disappear into the black, quickly running forward to question them more. But as soon as he reached it, a flash of neon blue glazed his vision and they disappeared.

He stood frozen in the clearing for a minute or so, searching around the sides before giving up his search. The moon suddenly appeared overhead, the clouds drifting away with the wind. Using the light he navigated through the woods, quickly vaulting over the fence. The papers were stuffed into the waistline of his shorts, covered up by his shirt.

Mr. Patrick stood with a flashlight behind Poppy Hall, light turned towards the ground. He moved the light towards West, who waved and pointed towards Bluebell. The teacher nodded, pointing to his wrist as if to say "It's a bit late."

West just shrugged and continued walking, waving to the teacher once again. The two knew each other after West helped out with the mural Owen painted. He was in charge of removing whatever she wasn't supposed to have put up, since she had originally gotten permission for a much smaller segment of wall.

The boy was notorious for spending a lot of his free time with the staff. He didn't have much to do otherwise, since he did all his work in one of his classes, so he normally just helped out teachers that needed it.

As he continued his walk along the path, he noticed another kid sneaking unstealthily behind a row of bushes along Poppy Hall in the direction of the door, he had a small drawstring bag over his shoulder from what Ethan could tell.

He suddenly noticed a very faint yellowish light turn on in a third-story room. He watched the other kid slip into the building, the door giving off a near-silent snap into place. West turned to follow behind him, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small iron key with a white keychain in the shape of a rabbit. As he twirled it on his finger, he heard a voice suddenly start speaking from all the way across the lawn.

West ducked to the side of the building, turning around to look for the source of the voice. He saw _another_ kid making their way out of Bluebell, a bag in his hands. West could faintly make out his face from the dull light of his phone. The kid walked towards the girl's dorm, passing the door and walking around the side.

Suddenly distracted, West followed.

He shoved the key back in his pocket as he silently sprinted to the side of the building. West peeked his head around the corner to see the boy lean against the middle of the brick wall. All of the boxes once there had been suddenly moved against the back fence, leaving a large open space between the boy and the opposite wall.

The boy was still tapping on his phone, seemingly upset based on the exasperated sighs he would release before continuing to type. Asthe boy turned off his phone, West heard a metallic thump from behind him, most likely from the alley. He ducked close to the bush, curling into a tight, invisible ball as a figure walked past. Wets couldn't make out any features behind the bandana tied around most of their face and the void black hoodie pulled over their frame. They were moving fast enough that their hair blew behind them like a charcoal wave.

The small figure went quickly towards the boy, who moved forward with arms crossed to greet her. "Took you long enough."

"It's not my fault my roommate wakes up at the drop of a hat," the girl scoffed, plopping heavily onto the floor. The boy followed, leaning back on his arms. "Plus, you showed up early. You can't blame me for what you did."

"Whatever," the boy sighed. "What was so important that you stole my number to tell me about at-" he pulled out his phone. "-11:38 on a school night."

The girl tugged on the mask around her face, pulling it to her neck. "It's not good," her voice dropped to the point West could hardly hear it. The girl leaned forward to whisper something.

"What?!" the boy exclaimed, making sure his voice was still quiet enough not to get caught. "No, wait- why? Why are… I don't-"

"I don't get it either. My dad said he wouldn't be coming to visit me. Ever."

The boy nodded, tugging at his hair. "But how do you know my mom's coming with him?"

"He told me," the girl whined, running her hands down her face. "They're still adamant about this whole thing. I hate it."

"We both have partners," the boy muttered sadly. "Did you tell your boyfriend yet?"

The girl shook her head. "He's never met him. Plus, I'd rather not get him involved with him if I don't have to." She visibly shuddered. "He'll get money out of anyone."

"Your dad's such an asshole."

"And your mom's sucha bitch."

The two chuckled in melancholy before both sitting in silence for a moment. The boy then piped up, "What do we do?"

"I…" the girl trailed off. "I don't know." She looked towards the sky before looking back at the boy. "You _promise_ you aren't mad at me? We don't even talk in front of people anymore."

"First off, when did we _ever_ talk in public? And second, no. I'm not mad. That was your dad's choice. Not yours," he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You aren't like that. I know that now."

The girl nodded, crossing her arms. "Thanks, J."

"J?"

"I don't know, I don't like calling you by your actual name," she sighed.

The boy chuckled. "I mean, sure, but why J?" he stood up, pulling her up by her arm. "Why not like, Jer?"

"That's what your girlfriend calls you. It'd be weird if I did that," she made a gagging sound as the two began walking towards the dorms. West ducked back, continuing to listen. "But still, Jared sound's _weird_."

The boy jokingly scoffed. "And Owen doesn't?"

"Fuck you."

"Didn't you already?"

There was a loud thump sound and a whine from Jared, who walked around the corner cradling the side of his head. "Was that necessary?"

" _Yes_."

"Fine, sorry, that was a bit insensitive," Jared raised his hands in defense. "In return, would you like me to walk you back to your dorm."

Owen smirked, crossing her arms. "I don't know, princess. Shouldn't the guy walk the girl to the door, not the other way round?"

"A simple _no_ would have sufficed," Jared rolled his eyes.

"I don't know where you got a _no_ from. I'll always take someone who can work as my bait," Owen jabbed him with her elbow, but he dodged away towards Poppy Hall. "Oh, you have that tonight?"

Jared nodded, walking backwards, "I told the guys I'd be a bit late, but I'm already past the time I told them." He turned around before turning his head back. "Uhm, I know you sit with James at lunch but, you know, you can always pull up a chair."

Owen made a hum in acknowledgement. "Thanks, Jared." She waved at his as she walked up the steps. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night. Don't stay up too late," Jared turned around and quickly paced towards the door of Poppy Hall, pushing open the door and disappearing inside. Owen did the same into the dorm.

West sat in silence for a moment. He felt the weight of the papers under his arms shift in his jacket as he swayed slightly, his body not wanting to move. When he finally stood up, he noticed faint movement coming from the windows of the illuminated room that he hadn't seen before.

He didn't quite know what to do.

So he started walking.

Shane sat awake in his bed, folded up in a blanket. Jirard was snoring faintly from the opposite bed, an extra large Itty Bitty Kitty plush held in his hands. Shane had a light blue and gray one propped up next to him, given by Jirard to help him avoid his uhh… sleeping issue. Jirard had a second one on the shelf, and had given Shane his after part of the seam had torn and been stitched back together.

Everything was bothering him. The sound of the fan, the light from the window, Jirard's snoring, even the faint sound of the neighbors working on something kept making him open his eyes.

Eventually he just pushed out of bed and grabbed his jacket off his chair. His keys jostled in the pocket, letting him know it was safe to push out into the hall. He walked along the shadowed corridor, walking silently down the stairs to the first floor. The light to the kitchen was on, lighting his path to the front door until he pushed it open and slipped out.

He was immediately met by a figure passing in front of his path.

The person quickly sprinted around the corner before the footsteps went quiet. Shane quickly followed, watching the figure silently run behind the bleachers and onto the field. He followed as quietly as he could, curious as to who would run away and to who would be out that late at night.

He poked his head from the side of the bleachers to see the frame of the person huddled on top of the bleachers, a thin, white raincoat over his shoulders. When he noticed Shane, he started shuffling along the bench away from him until he reached the opposite railing. It was took dark for Shane to tell exactly who it was, but he was pretty sure it was a dude from the quiet muttering he could hear.

Shane slowly walked forward, sitting on the top bleacher on the end farthest from the other kid. He slowly moved across, wanting to see when the other kid would react.

It took the boy until Shane reached the same bench to say something. "What are you doing?" he whispered, his voice inconspicuous with it's quiet tone.

"I don't know," Shane responded, shrugging. "You looked suspicious. Wanted to see why you bolted off."

"Do you think I was _expecting_ someone to open that door?" the kid snarked, keeping their head consistently turned in the opposite direction.

Shane frowned, making a click in the back of his throat. "Do I know you?"

The boy chuckled sarcastically. "I don't know, do you?" he replied, crossing his arms.

"I might know if you turn your fucking head around, I'll tell you that," Shane snarled, tapping his foot on the ground. The kid's face seemed to focus on the tapping for a moment before turning to Shane. Shane snarled, "Oh. You."

"Yeah," West rolled his eyes, pulling his legs to his chest. "Wish you hadn't followed me yet, Flower Boy?"

Crossing his arms, Shane stood up. "What's your problem?"

"What's _my_ problem?" West hissed, glaring at him from his seat. "It's you, you blind fucker."

"I get that, but _why_?" Shane frowned, leaning down in West's face. "I talked to your little girlfriend, she told me about your drug shit. I don't wanna get involved with that-"

"Oh, wait," West cut in. "You mean Nialle? You talked to her?"

Shane nodded.

"So that's why she ragged me out earlier," West muttered, sighing. "So I got you all upset, huh?" West glanced up, a dead look in his eyes. "Didn't realize it was _you_. Probably should've."

Shane looked at him, puzzled. "What? What'd she tell you?"

"Said I gave a kid a panic attack cause he thought I knew a dead kid," West muttered, running a hand down the side of his face. Shane's breath stopped, making West glance over. "So she wasn't lying, huh?" Shane shook his head slowly, sitting back down. "Wow, I really can't keep a lie, eh?" West chuckled half-heartedly.

Shane still wasn't breathing right. "S-so you… you know him?" West looked up, placing his feet back on the ground. "T-twenty-Seven? Y-you worked with h-him r-righ… right?"

West sighed, looking out at the treeline, holding out a hand. Shane looked where West was, but didn't see anything there. Just the darkness of the trees. "I…" West whispered, clenching his fingers together. Shane could've sworn he saw a flash of neon blue from the trees, but when he looked over, nothing was there. "Yeah. I did. Not very well, but we worked under the same group."

"So you…" Shane looked at his hands. "What happened to him? Is he really dead?"

He noticed West choke, running a hand along his throat. His eyes were closed. "Yeah, shot by a guard. Snapped his ankle jumping from a third-story window landing on uneven ground." West began rubbing a hand along his ankle, as if he were imagining the pain. "Good kid, worked real hard… though he didn't want to be there," he chuckled solemnly at the last part.

"I…" Shane breathed, knotting his fingers together. "I figured. That's what Emily told me,

Guess she was right." He took a deep breath and slumped down with a sigh. "He saved my life."

"I bet he did," West nodded. "He saved a lot of people. Didn't wanna hurt anybody. Could barely hold a gun straight."

Shane nodded as well, letting a silence fall between them. The ambient sound of the bugs and wind seemed infinitely louder at that moment. "I.." Shane started, looking towards the rising moon. "I won't ask anymore."

"I'm sorry I snapped earlier," West suddenly jumped, leaning quickly towards Shane. His bangs fell over his eyes, but he didn't move them. "I… I have issues I'm dealing with on my own and I shouldn't have dragged you into that. You aren't supposed to know I work there either and I really fucked this up didn't I and I should really stop talking but I'm too nervous I won't say everything and I'm sorry I should-"

Shane placed a hand over his mouth in panic, looking over the back of the bleachers to see a bright flashlight hit him in the eyes. "Hey! Who's up there?" West suddenly grabbed his arm and bolted down the bleachers, Shane in tow. He dragged him quickly around the back of Poppy Hall and towards the library, ducking around back into a small indent in the wall. "Stop right there! Gah, where'd they go!"

"Hurry," West whispered, pointing to the ground next to the building. Shane sat down, a bit dazed, as West pulled a large wooden sheet across the wall to block the small alcove. West sat down next to Shane quickly, just in time for Mr. Patrick to show up in the small slot the two boys could see through between the wood and the wall.

The teacher waved his flashlight around before sighing and quickly pacing away, the flashlight periodically passing back over the ground behind him.

Shane and West sat quiet for a moment before West started chuckling. "Nice call, dude. I already told him I'd be back at my dorm like, 20 minutes ago."

"I'd rather not get caught by _him_ of all people. He's a bit of a blabbermouth. Heard he has the longest detention times cause he won't _shut up_." West started laughing under his breath. Shane could feel it through their touching sides, tickling his arm. "He's new this year, right?"

"Yeah," West looked down at him, smiling. "Heard he's pretty repetitive, especially since he teaches General Theory. Ryan isn't very jazzed to be going into his class next year."

Shane chuckled silently, leaning against the wall to his side. He hadn't noticed until that moment, but the mood had suddenly changed. West seemed much calmer than before, and had gone from tense back-and-forth to casual conversation very quickly.

Strange kid.

"So, when do we get out of here?" Shane mumbled, leaning forward to look through the gap to the outside. West shifted, letting Shane have a bit more room to look. "I don't see him but…" The glow of a flashlight still periodically flashed against the fence, meaning Mr. Patrick was still on the lookout.

West seemed to think it over before tapping Shane to move out of the way. "Here, let me check something," he muttered, squeezing through the gap without disturbing the wooden panel. Shane watched him walk up to the back door and gently wiggle the handle.

Nothing.

He then started patting the ground near the door before suddenly jolting up, ssing the distance to the brick fence. He reached between the gap left from one of the bricks being removed and seemed to search with his hand before pulling it back out. In his hand was a small key which he quickly usd to unlock and silently open the heavy metal door.

"Over here," West mouthed, odding with his head for Shane to head over. He wasn't as successful at not making noise, causing the board to bump against the wall as he passed through. The flashlight suddenly showed up on the wall, the sound of footsteps growing closer as the two boys slipped into the back door of the school's main kitchen.

As West silently shut the door, Shane took a look around in the faint light he had. The kitchen was far larger than the dorm room kitchen, and had supplies the school kept stocked by itself. He could tell someone had made food in their earlier by the lingering smell of chocolate and vanilla still in the air.

"Damn," West breathed, shivering. "Smells good, but it's absolutely _freezing_ in here."

Shane rubbed his hands together to warm them up, West mirroring him. He noticed a faint white light from the opposite end of the room, where the fridge was. "The fucking freezer's open."

"Wait, really?" West looked over, jogging quickly towards the source. "God, buncha dewdroppers." He closed the freezer, taking a breath into his hands and continuing to twist them together. "Let's ankle. It's dead cold in here."

Shane nodded, opening the door as the two stepped into the eerie cafeteria. The sounds of their shoes echoed in the cavernous space, soon stalling as they stood still, not able to go anywhere yet.

The cafeteria was connected to Poppy Hall, but only by a wall. The door was to the outside to avoid a traffic jam of everyone struggling to get in by one hall, meaning Shane and West were basically trapped.

"Uhh," Shane looked around. "What was the plan, exactly?"

West shrugged, sitting down in one of the chairs. "Didn't really have one. But it's better than sitting in a 2 meter area, wouldn't you say?" Shane nodded, sitting in the chair next to him. "But honestly, I'd rather not sleep in the cafeteria."

Shane nodded, leaning his head on his arm. "I've done worse, honestly," he muttered, thinking back to when he and Emmy were locked in a classroom a bit more than a week ago. "Huh."

"What?" West glanced over. "You think of a way out?"

"No, justs realized somethin'," Shane hummed, crossing his arms. "This just feels oddly familiar to something that happened a bit ago. The whole 'Trapped In The Same Room As The Kid You Hate' thing."

West made an almost silent choke in the back of his throat. "You hate me?" he whispered, a look of pain on his face. Shane glanced over, and when he noticed the other's expression, quickly shook his head.

"No, I wouldn't say that. Don't really know you very well yet. But you know what I mean," he explained, looking at the drawn blinds over the tall windows. "We don't get along the best."

"I…" West crossed his arms on the table. "I guess not."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room, both boys watching the light filter through the gaps in the blinds and fall across everything in the room. Shane could feel West glance at him every few seconds before he stood up and started pacing. West eventually sat back down, sliding something over to Shane.

A cookie.

"I m-made this earlier, if you want it," West stuttered, pushing it a bit closer on the napkin. Shane looked down and picked it up. The other boy coughed, running a hand over the back of his neck. "I made a bit too many, so I just left them in the kitchen for whoever."

Shane took a small bite, chewed and swallowed with a small smile. "Huh," he huffed, shoving the rest of the cookie in his mouth. Talking through the food, he looked at West, "Not bad."

West laughed, standing up again. "Want another?" he smiled, holding out an arm for Shane. He grabbed the outstretched hand and pulled up, allowing West to drag him across the cafeteria and back into the kitchen, the door closing behind them with a near-silent click.

…

 **file.07091922.021 has been accessed**

…

' **The_Author' attempting to direct send**

 **Please enter Admin Code**

…

 **Admin Code Accepted**

 **Sending file.07091922.021 to Gill, Shane**

…

 **Document sent**

 **Document opened by 'West'**

…

' **file.07091922.021' has been renamed 'Author 027'**

…

 **Document opened by Gill, Shane**


	30. Chapter Thirty - Before

**The following documents have been recorded for private use by RED Operatives. All information gained by the following data is not to be shared with outside sources. Any and all complaints are not to be directed to the head of Author Branch A, Akara. Instead, please contact Author021 with all reports.**

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 **The documents you are about to read take place before the events of Author027's Studies, which were also documented by Author021. Any canonical differences between these documents and the studies conducted by Author027 are due to errors from the following:**

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 **Author020**

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 **Do not edit in any way the following documents.**

 **Document A**

 **Emmy Wadetin; Saniya**

Emmy loved Asagao Academy.

It was so much better than her old schools in Germany and other parts of Japan. Jumping from private school to private school wasn't fun in the first place, but the fact they were all insanely strict just made everything worse. Her schools were all hand-picked by her father, with little to no input from Emmy or her mom. This became worse after Casper passed away, since her father prioritized the safest environment possible over the actual quality of education.

Asagao was different. She felt more free and able to do anything she wanted.

And best of all, she was nowhere near her dad. He couldn't come drag her away anymore and take her halfway across the country for his work.

Saniya was her roommate too! It couldn't get any better than having your best and only friend living with you for three years without the fear of being moved again.

Emmy loved being free.

Saniya seemed to be loving it too. She'd quickly joined the tennis team, a game she hadn't played on a team since she was young, but still her favorite. She sheltered Emmy from a lot of the school gossip and buzz, but Emmy didn't mind. She was okay watching from afar.

This was _her_ year, after all.

The bubbling chatter of students was always welcome. Sometimes she'd see kids arguing over petty details, being overly enthusiastic about their favorite sports, or showing around other new students. Everyone seemed so happy and content.

Saniya even asked her to the flower festival.

So of course she accepted Saniya's offer to shop with her in the nearby town when the first weekend rolled around. Emmy had been antsy to explore the places outside of school, and even Saniya seemed to be in a good mood.

The two girls took the train ride together that Saturday morning, Emmy listening quietly to Saniya talk, her head resting on her shoulder. Saniya's long auburn hair aimlessly blew into her face from time to time.

The day was on the cooler side, but she could tell it was warming up soon. The morning was wet with dew, a bit humid and heavy. The girls walked by windows, Saniya sometimes pulling her into a shop to look around more. The girl bought something in a jewelry store while Emmy looked into a bakery shop's large glass window, waiting on her friend.

"What'd you buy?" she smiled, nodding to the small white bag in Saniya's hands. The girl shrugged, flashing a short smile before taking a spot next to the window as well.

"You want some food?" she asked, pushing open the swinging door to the bakery. Emmy nodded, quickly walking inside. "We probably should have eaten first, huh?"

Emmy chuckled, taking in the lovely smell of baked goods and coffee. She felt Saniya wrap and arm around her middle, pulling her over to one of the displays. "What do ya want?" she smiled, scanning the rows of muffins and cookies. "I'll pay, don't worry."

"Oh, uhm, you don't-"

"Let me buy you food sometimes, sweetheart," Saniya chuckled, leaning her head down a bit so she could speak quieter to her. "You buy everything, I swear."

Emmy smiled, nudging Saniya with her elbow, "I do it 'cause I want to, you know."

"Yeah I know. You're way too nice, though," Saniya lowered her voice, looking closer at the chocolate muffins. "Gotta be a bit cutthroat sometimes, right?"

Emmy rolled her eyes, moving her body towards the register so Saniya would be tugged along. "Come on, I know you want a chocolate muffin, you get it every time," she chuckled, Saniya standing up straighter. She pulled Emmy a bit closer to her side.

"I know, I know. But still, gotta make sure they're still good enough for my-" she moved her face an inch away from Emmy's ear. "-refined taste."

"Ew, gross, you have coffee breath," Emmy laughed, waving a hand to blow away the smell.

Saniya chuckled maniacally. "What do you not like my-" she moved closer. "- _lovely_ coffee smell?"

Emmy smiled, playfully shoving her away. "No, for a matter of fact, I don't. And I'd prefer if it smelled like chocolate muffin."

"Well, that can be arranged," Saniya chuckled, stepping forward to an open cashier who'd been standing bored waiting on them. "Hi, I'd like to get a chocolate muffin, two teas, one with milk, and a…" Saniya glanced down at Emmy, squinting as if she was concentrating. Just as Emmy opened her mouth to speak, Saniya spoke up, "a banana muffin and a biscuit."

Saniya looked down as Emmy crossed her arms, winking. "Who said I wanted that?"

"Your face did," Saniya smiled, pulling out her wallet and handing the cashier the amount of money required. She put the extra in the tip jar to the side. One of the other people behind the desk handed them two paper bags that held the muffins and the biscuit, along with a little folded black card that read _13_ to let them know where the teas should go.

Emmy pulled Saniya over to a table by the large window, pulling out their food and setting it in front of them. "Since when do you leave tips?" Emmy teased, passing Saniya her muffin on a napkin.

She smiled, pulling a piece off the top of the muffin. "I don't know, I guess you're just rubbing off on me," she popped the piece in her mouth. "Also, it's pretty cool there's an American style bakery out here. They always make the best muffins."

"Yeah, it's really sweet," Emmy talked over her muffin, a hand over her mouth. "Plus, I saw they sell soup here. I've never had American soup."

"We should come here again sometime," Saniya took another bite of muffin, scowling and reaching into her mouth to pull out a soggy piece of wrapper paper. "Oops, forgot about the paper."

Emmy smiled, noticing someone carrying their teas over. They placed them down with a smile, picking up the card and walking off. Saniya picked up her cup carefully, placing it closer to her. She stirred with a spoon, staring lovingly into her tea.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Emmy grabbed her own tea, taking a small sip. It burned her mouth a bit, but the milk helped it cool down a bit more.

Saniya glanced up, never stopping her stirring. She shrugged, staring at Emmy. "Nothin," she smiled dopily, leaning her head on her hand. "You just look awful pretty is all."

Emmy laughed breathily, pushing back the strands of hair around her face. "W-well thanks. That's quite unlike you," she blushed, covering it up by shoving half a biscuit in her mouth. Saniya chuckled as she attempted to swallow it.

"It's true," Saniya shrugged, unwrapping her muffin and tossing the trash in a bin behind her. "I like what you did with your hair."

She was referencing the small braid that was pulled back into her bun. She thought it'd match the more fall-like outfit she was wearing: a long sleeve white turtleneck and dark gray jeans. Her shoes were a pair of red flats with little white buttons along the sides.

"Here," Saniya stood up, reaching into her pocket. She stepped behind Emmy, and she felt her tie something into her hair before she sat down. "Damn. So fucking cute," Saniya chuckled, pulling out her phone. She took a photo, turning around the camera so Emmy could see.

She now had a red ribbon tied around her hair bun, a gold lining around the edge. "Oh, wow," Emmy breathed, reaching back to feel it. "It's gorgeous." Emmy glanced up to see Saniya taking a large sip of her tea.

The girl had long hair with matching long bangs that swept far to one side of her face. It was framed by a pair of large gold hoop earrings that paired with her black sweater dress and gray boots. The boots belonged to Emmy, but they had very similar shoe size so they fit well. She carried a small red backpack with her that matched her lipstick where she kept her phone, wallet, and other small trinkets she carried around.

"You know," Emmy started, leaning gently against the table. "You've gotten a lot better over the past year."

Saniya blinked before smiling. "Really? Is it visibly better?" she beamed, flashing her teeth. She had lipstick on her teeth. "I've been trying really hard to get better. I think the new medicine is finally doing something too," she reached her hand quickly over the table to grab Emmy's hand. "Not to mention how much help you've been giving me too. I think you being so consistent with me's really helped."

Emmy nodded, aimlessly shifting her hand so Saniya's fingers fell between hers. Saniya seemed to notice, tightening her grip a bit. "Yeah, you're a lot better. Much happier and a lot less defensive."

"I…" Saniya sighed with a chuckle. "I want to get better. I really do. I want…" Saniya trailed off, looking out the window. "Actually, I have a better idea. Let me show you something I found."

The girl pushed up from her chair, her hand slipping from Emmy's to grab her bag. "But I haven't finished?" Emmy looked up, puzzled. Saniya quickly tossed Emmy's food in the trash behind her.

Before Emmy could complain, Saniya continued, "Don't worry darling, I'll get you more food afterwards. I wanna get there before it gets crowded." She swung the bag over her shoulder and pushed in her seat, holding out her arm for Emmy to pull up.

"Such a gentleman," Emmy teased, bumping Saniya with her shoulder. "Though I'm not sure a gentleman would throw away her lady's muffin."

"I'm gentlemanly in my own way," Saniya smiled, offering her elbow. Emmy grabbed it mockingly. "M'lady," Saniya lowered her voice as she pushed through the door. Emmy rolled her eyes, nuzzling Saniya's jaw with the top of her head. "Hey, don't snuggle the knight. You'll make him melt," Saniya placed a small kiss on Emmy's lower cheek near her jawline, leaving a small red mark.

Sticking her tongue out, Emmy attempted to rub off the mark.

It didn't come off.

"Ew, what's your makeup made of? Super glue?" Emmy continued rubbing her face with her free hand, letting Saniya guide her across the street and down the sidewalk. "Also, I'll snuggle the knight any time I want," Emmy leaned up, putting a similar, lighter colored mark on Saniya's face to the one on her own. "Cause I know he loves it."

Saniya shrugged once again, glancing down at the girl by her side. "Can't deny that, princess."

The two chatted as they walked down the fairly empty streets. They noticed lots of people in restaurants eating, but not a lot of general shoppers. Emmy dragged Saniya into a near-empty pet store to pet the animals. Saniya almost stole a cat cause she said it looked like Emmy.

As they walked Saniya seemed to get more and more nervous, combing her hand through her hair constantly. They were approaching a row of rather wide alleyways when they heard Saniya's ringtone go off in her bag. It was a recording of Emmy's music, something she didn't quite enjoy but was trying to love anyways.

Emmy waited, leaned against an old antique shop while Saniya talked to whoever was on the other line.

"Hello?... Yes this is Saniya… Fredrick? I got my order an hour ago… what do you _mean you gave me the wrong one_ … Well at least you caught me, I was about to go through with it in like, two minutes… _rude_ … Yeah, I'm the green one… okay, okay, I'll run over… it better be the right one this time… yeah yeah, whatever," she shut off her phone with deep sigh, shoving it back in her bag. "Hey, I gotta run back to somewhere to grab something I missed."

"Oh, you want me to tag along?" Emmy dusted off the dirt that has accumulated on her shirt.

 **Option A: Come along**

 **Option B: Meet me there**

 **Option B: Current Timeline**

"It's cool, I'll just meet you there. Just head down that alley over there and walk a few buildings down til you see a fence. You can snag us a bench while you're there," Saniya slung the bag back on her shoulder.

Emmy gave her an 'okay' sign and started walking, aimlessly fixing her hair. Saniya ran in the opposite direction back towards the cafe, her bag bouncing along her back.

The strawberry blonde felt odd without her friend by her side, especially once she walked up to the alley. She had her purse on her shoulder, but upon noticing someone leaning on a wall of the alley, she shifted it down to her elbow and grabbed it with her other hand.

She attempted to walk past without him stopping her.

Instead, he stole her purse, stabbed her in the legs, and nearly cut her eye out.

The only thing stopping him was Saniya rushing into the alleyway, a paper bag gripped in her hand, which she used to clock him over the head before shoving him against the opposite wall.

Emmy didn't come back to school until next semester, per her father's orders.

She was told it was due to her condition.

Harrison had her stay so she wouldn't get hurt again.

He lied to her mother.

He told her it was all Saniya's fault.

Saniya believed it was her fault.

And her brain fell apart all over again.

She couldn't lose Emmy.

She'd been so close.

…

She wouldn't follow her brother.

 **Option A: Alternate Timeline**

"Sure, why not," Saniya started walking, Emmy taking her place by her side. Saniya resumed her first position from the cafe, with her arm around Emmy's waist. Her fingers dug into the slightly squishy skin of her leg, rubbing in small circles.

Emmy just smiled.

The two slowly walked back to the jewelry store, where Saniya went inside by herself for a moment before sticking her head out. "Wanna look?"

Walking inside, Emmy was met by the smell of metal polish and scented candles. There were rows of necklaces, earrings and rings on the small, thin shelves around the store, with the main counter having a large glass display.

A theck-bearded blonde boy stood behind the counter, his hair pulled back a bit by a black headband. He had on a uniform with a little embroidered ring on it and the name _Fredrick_ sewn below.

"Emmy, this is Fredrick, a friend of my father's," Saniya introduced her. "-and Fredrick, this is Emmilia, Harrison's daughter. She's my roommate," Emmy wasn't sure, but she was pretty sure that Saniya winked at him after he glanced over at her.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Emmilia," Fredrick greeted in his hearty voice. He wiped his hand on his uniform and held it out. Emmy shook his hand. "You can call me Rick."

Emmy smiled, "And you can call me Emmy." She glanced over to see Saniya leaned near a jewelry rack. She leaned up, holding a silver necklace between her fingers. It had a small, red ornament in the shape of a rose hanging from the bottom. "Oh! That's so cute!"

"Isn't it?" Saniya smiled, placing it on the counter. "I love all of Freddy's stuff. Oh, uh, Freddy is Rick's father, by the way," Saniya explained, pulling her wallet out from her purse. "Is he in the back?"

"Not today, sadly. He's with momma visiting Russia with my cousins," Rick sat down on a stool by the counter. "I gotta stay here and watch the shop."

Saniya frowned, pulling out a card. "Man, that sucks," she sympathised, passing him her card. He held up a hand, pushing the card back.

"Take it as consolation for the incorrect order," he smiled, crossing his arms. "It hasn't sold in a while anyways. I was gonna lower the price soon."

"Oh, uhm, thanks Rick," she grinned, picking the necklace back up. "Well, I should, ah-" she glanced over at Emmy. "-I should get going."

Rick waved, giving Emmy a little salute. "Good luck you two! Oh, and watch out in those alleys if you plan on passing through 'em. Real shady people in there."

"We'll keep that in mind," Saniya called over her shoulder as she pushed through the small glass door. Emmy followed her out, the door closing with a little bell.

"Does he know my dad?" Emmy quickly asked, Saniya beginning to clip the necklace around her neck. Emmy grabbed it and turned Saniya around, clipping it for her.

Saniya nodded, pulling out the hair stuck under the chain. The rose fell just below the neck of her dress. If it were to swing a bit to the side, it'd land right over her heart. "His dad made your parent's wedding rings, same with mine. He gave Casper that little cross necklace he wore all the time, remember?"

"That's who gave it to him?" Emmy blinked, taking Saniya's offered hand as they walked. "Man, he loved that thing."

"Yeah, he was way more devout than any of us," Saniya chuckled, brushing away her bangs. "But I mean, he was also the only real Christian out of all three of us. Aren't some of your friends Christian and Muslim or something?"

"James is Catholic, though I don't think he's gone to a church in his life. Owen's family is Buddhist, but she hates her dad so much I wouldn't be surprised if she went atheist or something to spite him. Ethan's atheist, so's his dad, and Renee is Methodist. I _think_ Mira is Jewish," Emmy rambled, letting Saniya pull her across the street.

They continued to talk until they reached the alley's they'd been at before. They ended up skipping one of the alley's since there was someone standing in there, instead walking the long way around the farthest building. They eventually reached a large, black metal gate lined on the opposite side by flower bushes and small trees.

It was a garden.

There were a few people wandering the pathways that they could see, but almost everyone disappeared behind tall trees, bushes and rocks placed conveniently along the sides of the paths.

Saniya walked by her side, the white bag she's grabbed in the jewelry shop still in her hand. Emmy had her purse by her side, swinging aimlessly in time with her and Saniya's hands. The sun was near the middle of the sky by the time they reached it.

A sturdy-looking wooden bridge at built over a large koi pond, filled with healthy-looking orange and white fish. As soon as they stepped on the bridge, a large koi swam under the bridge as if to say _Hello!_

There were little dispensers for food pellets that her and Saniya sat, tossing into the water and watching the fish swim below. Emmy slipped off her shoes and sat with her feet dangling off the bridge under the railing. Saniya followed, her toes sometimes grazing the water.

"It's so pretty," Emmy whispered, watching colorful leaves and petals fall onto the clear surface of the water. It reflected the sky perfectly, making it appear as though the petals were small, pink clouds. One of the really large fish swam near the surface to grab food, brushing lightly along the bottom of her foot.

"I… I wanted to ask you something," Saniya took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. Emmy turned her full attention towards her. "I know I already invited you to the flower festival, but I don't think I made something quite clear…" she fidgeted the fish food in her hands, tossing some into the water to calm herself down. "I didn't… I don't want to go as just _friends_ ," she looked over. "If you, uh, know what I'm saying."

Emmy flushed.

"O-oh, I…" Saniya reached to the white bag by her side, handing it to Emmy. She slowly opened it to find a small black box. She pulled it out, scooting back from the edge and pulling it open.

A ring.

It was a gold band with a green emerald in the center.

There was a little note written on a card placed in the top of the lid.

 _Will you be my girlfriend?_

"I'm.. sorry I couldn't say it," Saniya pulled her feet up, holding her legs to her chest. "But I mean it," she looked over to judge Emmy's reaction.

She was crying without making a noise, a large smile on her face.

"Yes."

Saniya blinked, a timid smile creeping onto her face.

"I… yes, I will," Emmy wiped at her face.

Saniya ran a hand along Emmy's cheek.

Saniya tasted like chocolate muffins and Saturday mornings.

Emmy tasted like everything was going to be okay.

 **Document B**

 **Kao Yu-Wen; Kao Chein-Hung; Kao Shiao-Han**

Yu-Wen didn't like her name. It wasn't what she thought it should be.

All of the people she met from the west had short, beautiful names with subtle consonants that flowed together.

Yu-Wen sounded like spit.

So whenever she spoke in English, she introduced herself as something else. The best version of her name.

Owen.

Owen moved around a lot, and as she got older, the places she visited spoke her native language less and less. It came to a point that she was only Yu-Wen to two people. Her father, Chein-Hung, and her mother, Shiao-Han.

Her friends called her mother Shan.

Everyone called her father Kao Chein-Hung. He was too formal for a name like Chung.

But as a child, Owen still went by Yu-Wen. That's what father wanted. Mother couldn't help her when she's at war.

Owen met her mom when she was 6 years old, during the war. They were living in South Korea, where her mother had been born and raised. Her father had only settled down for that time because of Owen.

"Yu-Wen, your father's waiting," a voice spoke through the door to her room. Owen was pulling on a pair of boots, struggling to get them over her heel. The maid pushed open to door and looked in to see Owen wrestling around on the floor with a shoe. "Young lady, stop it! You're messing up your hair!"

"But my shoe won't fit!" Owen sighed, flopping onto the floor. Her foot fell to the floor defeated, the boot flopping, half-on.

The maid, Cha Soo-Mi, quickly tugged the boot up, pulling Owen to her feet. She grabbed something from the counter behind Owen and tugged it through her hair painfully before pulling her out the door. Soo-Mi was a native in South Korea, hired to keep Owen out of trouble.

She wasn't very good at it, but Owen never let her father know about that.

Soo-Mi wanted to be an artist when she was a child.

Owen ran up to the car parked outside of their house ahead of Soo-Mi, who had to sit in a separate section of the vehicle from her and her father. The driver had the door open, and Owen crawled inside, sitting on the nearest seat.

Chein-Hung was sitting in the seat across from her, reading a novel. The door shut firmly behind her, and her father looked up for a moment with a nod. Owen tugged on her seatbelt and the car started moving.

Owen's feet swung in the air, unable to touch the floor. She liked her yellow rainboots.

She kept her face glued to the window, watching the people walk by on the sidewalks in large coats and umbrellas. She saw a man carrying a big dog in his arms.

The dog had three legs.

Owen wanted a dog with three legs.

"Dad, can we get a dog?" she smiled, keeping her gaze fixed on the animal's yellow-gold fur.

"No."

"Oh, okay," Owen's smile fell as the dog disappeared as they turned a corner. He sat silently the rest of the drive, looking and watching the people.

A lot of them seeming to be heading where her car was, and as they approached their destination, she noticed a large crowd seemingly parting as they went through. The car passed through a gate, which closed off behind them, leaving the crowd on the other side.

The car halted quickly, someone almost immediately swinging open the door. He reached over Owen an unbuckled her seatbelt, stepping back and holding the door. Her father was out of the car already.

She reached out her hands in a grabbing motion. "Jung-hoon, help," she waved, letting the driver grab her under the arms and gently lift her to the floor. Her feet landed firmly on the floor. She moved and let him close the door. "Jung-hoon, do you like my boots?"

Owen shook her foot towards him to emphasize what to look at. He glanced down, smiling a bit. "Yes, Ms. Kao. They look lovely," he nodded, placing a hand on her back. "Come, follow your father."

Jung-hoon led her towards where her father stood by a roped-off dock. The smell of the water made Owen want to splash in a puddle in her sunny little rain boots. But she was placed next to her father before she could try to. One of the maids took place behind them, holding up an umbrella to stop the bit of rain falling.

Owen looked around, swinging her hips around bored. She liked the way the white skirt danced around when she twirled.

Soo-Mi placed a hand on her shoulder to make her still, leaning down next to her. "Do you see those dots over there, Yu-Wen?" she pointed towards a flock of slow-moving things far away off the coast. Owen nodded. "That's what all these people are here to see."

"What are they?" she grabbed onto the rope, standing on her toes to see if it'd make it clear what they were

"You'll have to see," Soo-Mi chuckled, pushing down Owen's frizzing hair.

Owen frowned. "Come on, tell me…" she whined, turning to her dad. She pulled on his sleeve, "Daddy, what are they? Soo-Mi won't tell me." She looked up at him expectantly, but her father just glanced at Soo-Mi before scowling and turning away.

"A-ah, Yu-Wen, please refrain from doing that," her maid, grabbed her wrist pulling her a foot away from her father. She hurriedly made sure Chein-Hung suit was okay before returning to Owen. "Your father wished not to be disrupted with questions right now," Soo-Mi explained, leaning back down to Owen's level.

"B-but…" Owen frowned, looking back at sea. "I just wanna know what it is."

Soo-Mi ran a hand along the side of her face before tapping her on the nose. "You're a strong young girl, I'm sure you can wait a few moments and wait. Do you think you can do that?" Owen nodded quickly. "I'll send someone over here in my place. Do you want to talk to Jung-hoon or Min-soo?"

"Uhh…" Owen rocked on her heels. "Oh! Min-soo! I wanna show him my boots!"

Soo-Mi chuckled, shaking her head. "You're a special little girl, Yu-Wen."

"Call me Owen," she smiled, clasping her hands together. "I like it better."

"I…" Soo-Mi looked behind her at Chein-Hung. She turned around, putting a finger over her lips. "Okay, Owen'll be our little secret. How's that sound?"

Owen beamed, nodding. "Thanks Soo-Mi!"

Her maid chuckled, turning to find Min-soo near the group of workers standing near the car. Min-soo was the youngest worker under her father, more like an errand boy than anything else. Owen loved playing around with him though, since he almost never had anything to do. He was a smart kid who'd definitely go somewhere.

Just not right now.

"How's my little buddy doing?" he smiled, leaning down to pick her up. He held her by his side, Owen squishing her face against his. "You excited?"

"Yeah!" Owen smiled, kicking her feet. "Look at my boots!" she lifted one of her feet, letting Min-Soo look at them. "Aren't they cool?"

He laughed, placing Owen back down on the concrete walk. "Really cool," he smiled, clapping. Owen bowed as if she were on a stage before bouncing around. The small amount of water on the floor splashed up under her shoes. "So, Soo-Mi tells me you have a sweet cartwheel?"

"Oh! Yeah! She told me Mama used to be really strong and could do flips and stuff, and I wanna do that too," Owen waddled in her boots, watching the water. "Want me to show you?"

"Well, you are wearing a skirt…" Min-soo, frowned, glancing over at her father. "One moment."

He quickly walked over to him, Owen getting distracted by the puddles forming on the ground. They weren't very deep, so she could jump in them without her dress getting messed up. Min-soo eventually came back, smiling. "Chein-Hung said it would be okay if you show me as long as you aren't too close to the ocean or the crowds. Here, come with me," he smiled, taking Owen's tiny hand and gently pulling her along.

They stood in a fairly empty, dry courtyard covered on the top. There were some signs that said something about bags, but Owen was more focused on showing Min-soo her gymnastics. He would applaud her from the sidelines with a polite smile.

Eventually, Owen heard the sound of the crowds filing into the area her father was in. Min-soo quickly picked her up, jogging to place her by her Father's feet in the dry zone under his unwavering umbrella. Chein-hung placed a hand on her back, making her step forward, in front of him.

The crowds gathered around them, kept back by her father's guards. What had once been small dots in the distance were now large metal ships coming into dock, crowds of people on the decks. Many of them waved hats or jackets toward the crowd who returned the gesture.

Owen waved at the people.

Owen's father had his hands behind his back.

The boats finally settled along the shore, a bit beyond Owen's view. She was much shorter than all the adults in the crowd, but eventually she heard loud cheering from where the first boat had docked.

Soo-mi and her fellow maids dodged through the crowds, Owen watching them pass by and disappear. The guards were doing a very good job keeping them isolated, in their formal suits and glasses. Owen liked talking to the guards. Sometimes they'd even braid her hair or compliment her clothes.

Today, one of them said they liked her yellow rain boots.

Owen went back and forth trying to look through the crowds and around them over the water. But any time she'd try and get close to the railing, a guard would place a hand in front of her and move her back next to her father.

At one point, she saw a little rubber duck float by on the water.

Owen liked ducks.

Especially little yellow ones that matched her rain boots.

Eventually one of the maids ran back, whispered something to the guards, and pointed towards the second boat. The closest one nodded, telling something to Owen's father and leading him away. One of the other guards picked Owen up, letting her sit on his shoulders so she could see over the crowd.

She waved at them, getting a few small waves in response. There were a few other kids around her age, but they were hard to see through the umbrellas. One of them was another little girl with a rain coat covered in pink polka dots.

Owen wondered if she, too, had little yellow rain boots on.

Eventually they made it to an isolated, also roped-off area of the dock. One of the guards showed a different guard on the other side a piece of paper, which he shoved in his pocket and made an opening. He closed it behind them.

The guard set Owen down by a table, where she sat on a bench. Soo-Mi handed her a cup she'd fetched from the car full of water. "Can we get tea later?" Owen blinked, taking a sip from the straw in the top. Soo-Mi nodded, Owen humming happily and swinging her legs.

The crowds began moving away from where they were sitting, slowly filtering towards where Owen and Min-Soo had done cartwheels not long before. The second ship replaced the first, causing more cheering and clapping and waving like the first one.

A few of the maids eventually emerged from the crowd, and Owen saw her father shift his feet, taking a small step forward.

In the maid's tow was a woman in uniform. She had soft features and strong black hair that fell to her shoulders. It was jaggedly cut from what Owen could see. On her uniform were pinned-on medals.

Owen saw her father lift a hand in greeting.

The woman returned it.

The guard let the maids and the woman through, where she was led over directly to Chein-Hung. She greeted him with a bow.

"It's been a long time," she smiled, messing with the sleeve of her shirt. "How has life been?"

"Fine," he replied. He sounded upset, but the woman smiled anyways. Owen saw her father shake his head with the smallest of smiles. He seemed to remember something suddenly, looking down at Owen. "I brought someone for you to meet."

The woman looked at Owen for a moment confused before gasping. "Y-yu-Wen?" she breathed, leaning down and placing a hand on her face.

"Hi," Owen smiled, pushing off the bench to stand up. "What's your name?"

The woman placed a hand over her mouth, standing up and glancing at Owen's father. "I-is this…" she stuttered, looking between the two. Chein-Hung nodded. "My baby," she cried, falling to her knees and wrapping her arms around Owen. "Yu-Wen, it's me, baby," she sobbed, running a hand through the girl's hair. "It's mama, baby. It's me."

Owen blinked, processing for a moment. "M-mama?" she whispered, leaning back to look at her. The woman nodded. "Mama!" Owen laughed, returning the hug. Her mother picked her up, spinning her in a circle and kissing her on the cheek.

"You're so much bigger now," Shiao-Han spoke into her hair, eventually placing her on the floor. "My baby… I'm so glad you're okay. I've wanted to see you for so long."

"You look prettier than your photos," Owen smiled, rocking on her feet. "Oh yeah! Look!" Owen waved her foot forward. "Do you like my boots?"

Her mother covered her mouth as she laughed, kissing her on the forehead. "You really are my child," she sighed. "I love them. I really do."

"Why didn't you tell me we were meeting mama?" Owen turned to her dad, crossing her arms.

He blinked. "It's called a surprise."

She opened her mouth, but just huffed and kicked the floor. Soo-Mi walked up and hugged her mom, squeezing her hands with a nod. "We missed you, ma'am."

"What'd I say about that," her mom frowned, pointing a finger at her maid. "Don't say that."

"Sorry, uhm…" Soo-Mi paused. "Shiao-Han."

Owen had walked off a bit towards to ropes, one of the guards noticing and running after her. But she turned to him, pointing into the crowd. "Look, it's the doggy I saw earlier!" she laughed, grabbing the rope and pulling her chin over it. "Mama! Look!"

Her mother turned, walking over and leaning down.

"It's a puppy," Owen pointed. The dog was now on it's feet, a little blue leash over his head. The man who'd been carrying him was standing nearby as a man in uniform hugged the dog around his neck.

The man also didn't have a leg.

"How sweet," her mother ran her nails over Owen's scalp, making OWen lean towards her. The man stood up and ran to the other, hugging him.

"Can we get a dog?" Owen asked, tugging on her mom's shirt.

Her mom raised her eyebrows at her with a smile. "How about when I come home for good, baby."

"You mean…" Owen frowned, dropping her arms. "You aren't staying?"

"Afraid I can't, baby. But I'll be home by…" she placed a hand on her chin. "Let's say your sixteenth birthday. Then I'll get you a puppy," she pinched Owen on the cheek gently. "How's that sound?"

Owen nodded, opening her mouth just as the guard tapped on her mom's shoulder. "Mr. Kao says it's time to go."

"Okay, we'll be over in just a moment," she smiled. The guard nodded and jogged away as her mother stood up. "Come on, Yu-Wen."

"Can you call me Owen?" she stood on her toes.

"Owen?" she pondered, placing her hands on her hips. "Hmm… okay. Why not. It fits you," she placed her hand on the back of Owen's head, guiding her towards the open rope.

Owen clapped, grabbing her mom's hand. "Can I call you Shan?"

"Now don't push it," she joked, pulling Owen along. "Maybe one day. Just call me mom for now, okay?"

"Okay mom," Owen hummed, falling between her mom and her father, walking towards their car. They stepped into their car, the doors shutting behind them. One of the maids shoved her mother's belongings into the back and they drove away.

When Owen turned sixteen, she got a call from her father saying her mother was Missing in Action.

 **Document 3**

 **[Ethan Flipsen, James Flipsen]**

 **This story is documented in [ENGLISH], though some of the original language will be used for key moments. All** _ **ITALICISED**_ **text is** _ **untranslated**_ **.**

Ethan paced around the perimeter of a large tree, jumping from root to root. The dirt path leading from his house into town was a few feet away, covered by the thick treetop of spring. While waiting, Ethan sometimes would sit and watch ants running along in their lines, placing little bits of his lunch in their way and seeing how long it took them to carry it away.

The birds were loud that afternoon, pecking around on the path. Ethan sat by the path, a little gray pigeon bounding towards him. He held out a crushed piece of bread, sprinkling it on the floor. The bird quietly ate, comfortable with Ethan's company. He was there a lot.

The weather was ideal, bright and sunny off the coast of France. A storm had passed over about a week ago that took out the little apple tree in their backyard, but there hadn't been any rain since.

Spring was about to turn swiftly into summer.

There was a sudden crunching down the path, spooking Ethan's bird friend who flew into the branches. He looked up to see James jogging down the path, his bag slung over his shoulder. He had on his uniform- a white button-up with rolled up sleeves and a pair of khaki pants. A tight brown belt was pulled around his waist, his hair slicked back so it'd stay out of his face.

" _Salud_!" James called with a wave. " _Comment_ _ça va_?"

" _Je vais tres bien merci_ ," Ethan smiled, letting his brother pull him up. "How was school?"

James made a face of disgust, shifting his bag on his shoulder. "Bad. I don't like the teachers at all."

" _Nederlands?"_ Ethan offered, James nodding in return. "I need the practice with Dutch anyways."

"You're really good for having never spoken it before I moved in," he complemented, reaching up to brush his hand against one of the branches. "How was school with dad?"

Ethan shrugged, grabbing James's hand to tug him down the path. "Average. But I wanna go to the sand."

"You mean the beach?" James corrected, unbuckling the flap of his bag. "And yeah, i do too."

Ethan hummed, letting his brother stand to look in his bag while he poked around by the edges of the path. One of the houses along the path had a fenced-in yard for their dog, but there were a few little gaps in the wood. Ethan looked in through the hole to see a big, thin dog lounging on the grass nearby.

He knocked on the fence, the dog instantly raising his head and standing. He jogged over, looking at Ethan through the hole before shoving his muzzle through. Ethan laughed, rubbing the fur just above the dog's nose. "Hey Lyon," he cooed, the dog backing up to let Ethan shove his hand through and pet his head.

"Ethan, I can see you," a girl called from inside, suddenly grabbing his hand and shoving it back through. She put her face in front of the gap, showing her to be a black-haired little girl, a few years younger than Ethan. "You can just come in the gate you know! Plus, then you can play with me without mama getting mad I left."

"I would, but I can't Marie. I'm going to the beach," Ethan smiled, pointing behind him. "Plus, James is out here."

"I'm out what?" James chuckled, leaning down next to his brother. He looked through the gap, waving. "Hi Marie. Hi Lyon."

Marie waved, grabbing Lyon by the paw and gently waving it as well.

James chuckled, standing back up. Marie could see him clearly over the fence. "Come on, I found my glasses," James continued in French, waving once again over the fence. "We can hang out later, okay?"

"Okay! But you better come by this weekend."

"Ethan will come y for your dog alone," James tugged Ethan back to the path.

Ethan waved towards the fence, Marie's little hand poking through the hole to wave back. The two boys went back to the path, Ethan pestering James for a piggy-back ride before he finally sighed, defeated.

"Come on then," James leaned down, holding his hands behind his back to hold Ethan while he stood up. Ethan crawled up, wrapping himself tightly around his brother as he stood up. James walked very smoothly with little bounce, so Ethan rested his head on top of James's as he walked.

James eventually stepped to the edge of the beach. It was a little rocky path that slowly turned into white sand that stretched far in one direction. The other cut off at a sheer cliff face. Their house was a bit farther down the path, right on the beach.

Ethan landed on the ground, sitting down to tug off his shoes. James unbuttoned his button-up, laying it on the rocks before kicking his shoes off. He rolled up his pants a bit more as Ethan tied to pull his shirt over his head. It messed up his hair a bit as it came off.

"Dude, your hair looks _awful_ ," James laughed, combing Ethan's hair back down. "You need a haircut."

"Well, I'm your hair dummy," Ethan shrugged, jumping down the rocks to the beach. The sand was hot, but not overly so. James jumped down behind him. "But I quite like my hair longer."

James combed through his hair, walking to stand so the waves just barely grazed his feet. "If you're gonna have mom make you skirts and stuff, I refuse to let you turn into a full-on trap."

"Hey, that's rude," Ethan huffed, wading into the water up to his knees. "I'm not a _trap_. I'm not trying to _fool_ anybody."

"You made Andrew think you were my sister for a month," James placed his hands on his hips, leaning down. "A _month_!"

Ethan shrugged, leaning down to pick up a shell in the water. "He was kind of an idiot though."

James sighed, wading in after his brother, "I mean, that's _true_ , but still!" He brought the glasses over his eyes, looking at the sky. "I don't care if you wear a dress, just don't act like a woman when I know you're not."

Sighing, Ethan sat down in the water, the waves splashing up to his chest.

"Hey! Pants?!" James pointed. "What did mom say about the pants in the water rule?"

"Shh, I'll just throw them on the line," Ethan waved him off, splashing in the water. "It feels nice."

James rolled his eyes, wading in farther. He could go deeper in since he had a lot more leg to work with. "You know I just don't want you to get made fun of, right? You may not go to my school, but that doesn't mean those kids don't talk about you."

"Wait, they talk about me? You never told me that," Ethan blinked, sitting still as a fish swam past. A large group of really small fish started swimming around him, one of them ducking under his hand that was resting loosely on the sand. "What do they say about me?"

"Well…" James trailed off, looking at the giant swarm of fish surrounding Ethan. "Uhh, what's with the fish?"

Ethan chuckled, looking down to see a few fish gliding through the gaps in his fingers. "I don't know. They're just kinda chilling."

James opened his mouth to say something, but he just shook his head with a laugh. "God, I can't get mad at you for anything, huh?" He slowly walked forward, some of the fish dodging from his shadow. His brother sat down in front of him, sitting just as still.

The two sat in silence aside from James laughing as the fish danced around him. The sun became duller as they sat, the fish taking refuge in their shadows.

"So," James whispered, suddenly sullen. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

Ethan swallowed, avoiding eye-contact by looking down at the fish. One of them was practically laying in his hand facing the sky. "I…" he sniffled. "I'm scared."

"Well, I'm sure anyone would be if they were in your shoes," James frowned, lifting a hand out of the water. A shell sat in his palm.

"I just… I know I'll be okay, but… you know," Ethan sighed, the fish in his palm stirring. "I've never done anything like this before."

"But at least you won't have to be scared any more," James reached his hand out, placing the shell on Ethan's knee. The fish around it dispersed and regrouped quickly. "Mom and dad are scared too, but you just gotta trust that they'll do their job."

Ethan nodded, the fish in his palm moving as he raised hi hand to run a line along his throat. "I just… I can't believe they didn't catch it sooner, you know? It's apparently pretty easy to treat, but the fact it took them so long really bothers me."

"I know, I'm mad for you," James sighed, scratching at his throat, mirroring his brother. "But at least they know it'll go fine."

"Yeah…"

"You're worried about something. What is it?"

"What if it comes back?" Ethan muttered, looking up at his brother. He looked slightly taken aback, but came back quickly.

James placed a hand on Ethan's head, running it down the side of his face. "Then they'll know what to do. Either way, you'll be okay. Understand?"

Ethan leaning into James's hand, nodding lightly. "It's just scary."

"What, the surgery or-"

"Cancer."

James hummed, leaning forward to kiss Ethan on the forehead. "Maybe that's why I was sent here," James mused, standing up slowly. The fish spiralled away, only one remaining under Ethan's hand. "Maybe God wanted me to help you."

Ethan lifted his hand, the fish popping up from the sand, bumping into Ethan's sde disoriented, and swimming away. "Yeah…" Ethan smiled, letting James pull him up. He let his younger brother lead him to the shore and help him up the rocks. "That's a nice thought."

"Ethan! James!" a voice called down the shore. They looked over to see their mother waving a cloth over her head. "Come on! It's time for supper!"

James chuckled, picking up their shoes and shirts. "Welp, there goes your of throwing them in the dryer."

" _Shit_ ," Ethan groaned, James picking him up from the back. His legs swung in front of him as his brother carried him towards the house. "Mom's gonna kill me."

"Yeah she is."

 **Document D**

 **James Bakker, Jacobus Bakker, Jeltje Bakker, Maud Bakker**

James's family lived in the mountains of the Netherlands. Him and his mom's lived in an old cabin next door to his uncle Jacobus. They had seven neighbors, almost all of which being women and their children. The only husband, a man named Ludolf Heijman was the children's dedicated teacher.

His wife, Yvonne, had three kids before they married. James would go out and play in the small lake nearby with them some days. They had a rope tied to a tree hung over the lake where they would jump and swing into the water on good days.

The weather was always pretty cold, but there were days that were perfect to go swimming. Sometimes James would have his moms come with him to play.

There was no civilization for miles, and no persons were allowed anywhere near where he lived.

But James didn't know that.

All James knew was he liked playing piano, he liked Maud's cooking, and he liked playing in the woods by his house.

Jeltje, or Jeje as James called her, used to play piano in an orchestra as a child. She was the prodigy of the conductor, a position he would come to fill as he grew older. Maud, on the other hand, used to be a chef in a fancy hotel.

They were also spies for an anti-government organization, but James didn't know that the papers left out with names like Author056 and Author082 were talking about his parents.

He didn't know.

He didn't care.

James was 9 years old.

He ran down the stairs one morning, dancing into the kitchen just beyond the stairs to see Maud standing over a bowl, a book opened a few feet away.

"What's for breakfast, Dede?" James chirped, walking up to the counter. He tried to pull himself up, but Maud just leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

"More like lunch, honey. It's a bit late for breakfast," she teased, handing James the spoon. "I thought some bread would be nice." she placed the bowl on the floor. "Wanna help?"

James nodded, sitting on the floor in front of the bowl. He shoved the spoon in the bowl, pulling it in circles with the help of his mom.

Maud was thin and tall, with long blonde hair that she wore in braids. She liked wearing a scarf over her head when she baked to wipe her hands on and to stop her from combing her hair. James liked to play with her hair.

Jeje, on the other hand, was a bit more stocky like her brother. She had hair similar in color to James- a light brown with an undertone of orange. Her skin was darker too from being outside more. She liked to dance with Maud when James would play the piano.

The door into the kitchen opened to reveal his uncle Jacob standing in the door with a box in his hands. "There's my man!" he laughed, James running up to give him a hug. "How's he doing?"

"I'm doing great!" James smiled, pointing at Maud stirring the bowl on the floor. "Me and Dede are making bread!"

"I heard," he chuckled with a smile, picking up the box again and placing it on the counter. "Here's the stuff for this week. Jeje's got the dairy box."

The door swung open again, Jeje walking in with three bottles of milk in her arms. "You know it," she smiled, Maud standing up quickly to greet her wife. "Hey love," Jeje leaned forward, kissing Maud before placing the milk on the table. "Hey baby," she leaned down, scooping James up and swinging him around.

"Watch the lamp," Maud chuckled, pushing the standing light away from James's swinging feet. She kissed James on the cheek again, still in Jeje's arms.

She moved to pick up the bowl, placing it on the counter and covering it in a plastic sheet. "Come on, James," Jeje placed him down, grabbing him by the hand. "Let's go do your lesson."

"Yay! I've been playing alot lately," James cheered, skipping ahead with his mom in tow. Jacob and Maud followed, sitting in the chairs around the table. Jacob picked up a book while Dede moved to put in a movie to watch later. They had a fairly large collection of movies that all the houses traded around with each other.

James and Jeje played piano for a while, Maud walking up and wrapping her arms around her wife's waist while she played. She taught James mostly from memory, but sometimes they would get sheet music in their bi-weekly Entertainment Package for James to learn.

Maud eventually went back into the kitchen, silently filling the air with the smell of boiling soup. That was their weekend, every weekend.

James loved the weekend.

But he wouldn't anymore.

Maud made a sudden, jarring clatter as she dropped something before she scrambled into the room. She had a look of panic in her eyes that Jeje seemed to pick up on instantly. "Love, what-"

"They found us," Maud shook, stepping forward to hug Jeje. "Jeltje they found us, I… I hear them."

Jeje held up a hand to the whole room, calling for silence. James heard a very faint roar in the distance.

It sounded…

Scary.

"Baby, come on," Jeje stepped backwards, dragging Maud with her. She took James by the hand, Jacob standing up to follow. He quickly picked up James, stroking the back of his head.

"W-what's going on?" James cried. "I don't-"

"Shh…" Maud stroked his hair, grabbing Jacob's arm and pulling him outside. "Don't… don't worry baby. I-it's gonna be okay," she whispered, turning to Jeltje. "Hurry, tell the others."

Jeltje nodded, running off towards the neighbor's house. Jacob ran in the opposite direction before stopping as Maud called out to him. He placed James down, Maud running up and falling to her knees, wrapping her arms around her son. "I can't… I'm sorry baby, I can't tell you what's happening. You'll know one day, but I promise, right now isn't-"

"Maud!" Jeltje yelled, running back. "They're all gone. All the kids-"

"What about the Authors?"

"I can't find them. They must be going into position," Jeltje heaved, leaning on her knees. She looked down at James, sweeping him into a hug. "I'll see you in a little bit baby. Don't worry."

Maud stroked his hair, her eyes trained towards the sky. "God keep him safe," she whispered, kissing him on the forehead before she started backing away. "We have to go baby, but we'll be back soon."

"Mama?" James cried, stepping forward to follow. Jacob held him back.

"Don't try and follow James. Everything's gonna be okay," Jeltje started crying, grabbing Maud by the hand. She laced their fingers together. "Jacob, take good care of him."

Jacob nodded, picking up James. He started kicking, punching at Jacob's arm. "Where's mama goin?" James sobbed, yelling. "Mama! Mama! Come back!" he screamed, Maud and Jeltje disappearing around the side of the house. "MAMA!"

"James, be quiet," Jacob jolted him around, running into the woods. James tried to break free, but his uncle had a tight grip on him.

James was confused.

James was tired.

James was hungry.

James just wanted his mama back.

Jacob eventually put him down in a small ditch in the ground, sliding down to follow. "Come on, boy," he grabbed him by the arm, running along the dirt path. The walls got steeper around them as they ran, eventually closing all the way around them.

James heard voices in the cave.

It was the other children.

"James!" a boy called out, emerging from the dark into the bit of light from the mouth of the cave. "Do you know what's happening?"

Bartel was around James's age, less than one year older.

"No, do you?" James panicked, grabbing the boy by the arm. His uncle left his side, backing out of the cave. "Jacobus?"

"I'll be back, James. Don't worry," he assured him, holding up his hands. "Bartel, lead him to the others, will you?"

The boy nodded, tugging James along with him. "Come on."

The two ran through the secret cave, the only light being faint glowing from holes in the ceiling. Eventually they were greeted by a glowing candle and the group of children all huddled around Ludolf.

Ludolf was telling a story.

James sat down next to Bartel, who gripped his hand tightly as the children shook.

As Ludolf spoke to the children trying to calm them, the sound of lightning exploded. But it wasn't lightning. Lightning has space between it.

To the kids, this sounded like a sparkler.

To James, it sounded like death.

He didn't know why.

All the women disappeared that day, along with James's uncle Jacob.

James and the other children were stripped from their home, put into a sleep and torn from their roots. They woke up all around the world, some in homes, some in hospitals, some in the facilities in which their mothers used to work.

James woke up in an orphanage in France.

Maud and Jeltje were never found, just assumed dead. Jacob, however, was found shut and hung from a tree in the Dutch highlands when James was 16.

But we'll get to that later.

…

 **Thank you for one year.**

 **This year has changed me in so many ways. Some of the biggest events of my life happened from the time I started this story to now. I'm so glad to have even one person reading my story, and y'all have helped me in so many ways you'll never know.**

 **Thank you, all of you.**

 **Lets hope for another strong year.**

 **3**


	31. Chapter Thirty One - Author 027

**Opening "Author 027" (formerly file.07091922.021)**

…

' **The_Author' left a message**

" **The following document was written whilst I was in training by Author 027 and myself. I was in training to be his editor, but I am now in position as Author. As such, I did not write a majority of this document. Only what he never remembered.**

 **This document was withheld by myself from a personal request by West. I am unsure the reasoning."**

' **West' left a message**

" **Thank you, 21."**

 **Scanning for active viewers**

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 **2 active viewers found**

 **Gill, Shane; AuthorNEUTRALIZED**

 **!ERROR!**

 **!ERROR!**

 **ANOMALY DETECTED**

' **West' inputted Admin Code EdAANBEmSaOp1AccTRUE**

 **AuthorNEUTRALIZED scanned**

 **AuthorNEUTRALIZED renamed to Reader_01**

Author_027 joined RED on September 7, 1922. But he also joined it on August 9, 2022. His name is Raymond. But it's also Author_027.

It's so many other things as well.

He never existed, yet he's in the history books and newsprints as Raymond Johnson, the professional swing dancer who stole young women's hearts in the early 20s.

Raymond was 23.

Author_027 didn't have an age. It changed too often.

The drugs kept him at age 16. Forever. Unless he wanted to risk lessening his dose.

Akara stopped existing March 17, 2016. She went on a business trip she could never return from.

A trip to September 7, 1922 to rewrite history by taking away someone who was about to be killed. A framed kidnapping of someone who should've been killed.

His name was Raymond.

September 7, 1922 was a rainy day in Raymond's city. His wife and him had argued the night before over his desire to never have children. He wouldn't know until that night that his reluctance would push his partner, Helen, to have an affair with Raymond's student.

He found her purse outside a hotel know for that shit, below an open window. Her jacket had fallen as well, hung up on a flagpole to show her infidelity to the world.

He couldn't take it anymore.

Raymond took all she had and moved it deep into their home, to an unused study with a door to the street behind their home. They'd been fighting a lot recently, everything his fault somehow. She believed that because she somehow made more money, she now ruled the house.

She didn't.

Raymond just bought the necessities. She didn't pay for anything she didn't want.

That was "his job".

To hell with that.

He termed out of his home, down the street, and back to where he'd seen her stuff before. She was standing there, outside the hotel, her jacket hung over her arm. She was trying to cover the tear created from pulling it down.

"Helen," he made her jolt and turn around before she quickly pushed her hair into place. "Why were you not home?"

"I told you, Ray, I was having dinner with Marie. I promised I would bring her something while her husband was out of town."

Raymond scowled, trying to keep his face calm. "Go home," he spat, his voice breaking on the edges. "You have done enough."

"I do not-"

"Just, please, go home. I just want to stop this," Raymond walked past her, leaning down to pick up a hair clip that had fallen on the floor. He turned around, pinning it into her hair before backing away.

She seemed to try to fight in her head before she scoffed, turning on her heel to rear her head back around. "I never loved you, Ray. You know that."

"I know, love," he whispered, looking across the street to a man selling flowers from a cart. "But at least you never pretended to."

Helen stormed away.

Raymond walked backwards into the alley between the hotel and a store that sold him cigarettes, that used to sell him whiskey before they shut that down.

He slouched against the wall, his back gliding down the brick until he was sitting on the cold stone floor, becoming more and more drenched as the rain picked back up. The floor where he sat was just one big puddle.

He should have been killed by his student, Edward, who had told his wife that he'd been going on a train for work. The one who'd slept with Raymond's wife. He would kill Raymond, escape on a train, and never be seen again until he was long dead, thrown into the sea after dying on a boat to Europe sailed by smugglers.

A note: you should never drink a man's rum, especially when he offers you a ride across the Atlantic.

But instead, he met Akara.

She didn't look like she belonged. Raymond thought she was a man at first, the way she sat smoking along the back wall. Her clothes didn't fit with what he knew. A black turtleneck, gray jeans, and a pair of black heels made her almost disappear, and she was only brought back by the red ribbon tied around her wrist.

Her hair was a wild mess of curls and waves that didn't match, her features sharp and masculine.

She offered him a cigarette.

He accepted.

She asked him if he needed a place to stay.

He said he just needed to get out of town for a while.

She offered him a chance.

He accepted.

Raymond woke up August 7, 1922 with a drug-induced migraine from the cigarettes and clothes that matched the stone walls around him. He met a group of women who told him who he was now. That made him forget who he used to be.

27 was to be trained to be a field author in the biggest breakthrough in RED's history. His body was having some complications, not sure what age it should be, but that was handled with another pack of cigarettes laced with something 27 never asked about.

He forgot Raymond.

Author_027 was a member of RED. Never anything else.

But he was never that loyal. He trained with the promise of freedom over his head. He would learn later that 'freedom' meant 'never coming back', something you don't quite understand just yet.

They locked his age at fourteen. He didn't _look_ fourteen, he looked like a high school senior with a strong jaw and build, but they assured him that was how old he was. He never got a haircut, so his hair grew down to his waist and beyond. The only thing that actually _looked_ fourteen was his lack of facial hair.

He lived in cell block C, though the name didn't make all that much sense since the girls slept in block A and the other authors slept in block B. They weren't cells.

Well, A and B weren't. C was another story, with low ceilings and barely anything in there.

Akara gave him what she could. He was her last hope. She tried to explain why, but he never understood.

Apparently she'd jumped between worlds too many times, and he was her one hope of bringing back normality.

He was there to fix her mistake.

27 didn't like being called numbers. The women had names: Akara, Belli, Loviatar, all of whom trained and beat him when he wasn't doing what he should. Even the other authors weren't called by number names. They had little nicknames, like 38 was called Tate and 94 was called Noir. They were only called by number when they were being exterminated or when they were talking about documents.

27 never met any other men in the organization that he recalled. Though he didn't know if any of the other Authors used to be someone else before they were themselves.

He didn't meet anyone outside of the organization until Shane.

Shane was 14, just a small, weak british boy in way over his head. This was around the time he learned who Emily really was. Being kidnapped would eventually become routine.

Akara brought him in while 27 was asleep. Shane had to sit in heavy silence, unable to sleep in the stone cold room. He could hear someone just past the wall to his back, and he would periodically tap on the bricks trying to get their attention. He eventually found a gap between the bricks in the corner where he could see into what appeared to be a mirrored cell.

Another boy was asleep on a thin gray sheet near where Shane was. He could reach his hand through down to his thumb, which didn't do much. He didn't want to wake the boy, so he sat, waiting.

He couldn't see the boy's face, but his hair was a mix of colors. The roots were white, while the rest of his hair switched from blonde to brown to black. The ends had a red hue, almost as if they were rusted over.

It looked like someone had taken 10 different bottles of hair dye and tried to tie-dye their own hair. He was unnaturally thin, and Shane noticed half-eaten trays of food near the door that looked picked-through. He wore clothes similar to that of which he saw while he was being dragged through the halls, but a bit different. They weren't longsleeved, definitely not built for the freezing temperatures Shane was feeling.

The boy appeared to have kicked off the blanket while asleep, his body shaking a bit. Shane could see one of his hands- deep grooves were scattered across his palms, with little red cuts scattered from his fingertips to his wrist. They looked unintentional and painful, as though he was holding something sharp loosely in his hand and it ripped his hand to shreds.

After a while, the boy stirred, sitting up on the blanket. His hair fell to just below his shoulder blades, messy and tangled. But his face was quite attractive aside from the cuts on his cheeks and nose similar to those on his hands. Shane noticed a large scar where the boy's shirt was pulled up on his back.

The boy wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, standing up and stretching his legs. He had on a pair of socks with some sort of gripped web on the bottom. He slowly walked over the the door, leaning down and poking through the trays looking for something.

Shane continued to look through the hole as the boy pulled out a can, shrugged, and pried the lid off with his hands. He poured it into a small metal cup, lighting a candle with a match and placing the cup on a wire rack over the flame. He turned to grab something, twisting his body in Shane's direction.

He saw him.

The boy blinked, pulling the blanket closer as he shifted onto his knees. He crawled, kneeled, towards Shane, sitting in front of the hole. "H-" his voice broke, causing him to cough. "H-hello?"

"Uhm, hi?" Shane whispered, leaning back and pulling his knees to his chest. "W-who are you?"

"When'd you get here?" the boy questioned, leaning forward to block the hole with his face. His eyes were a very light gray, almost white. But they had this odd undertone of blue, as if they'd been drained of color. His voice was hoarse, him coughing frequently behind his hand.

Shane frowned. "Answer my question."

"When. Did. You. Get. Here."

"A couple hours ago. Now answer my question," Shane huffed, placing his chin on top of his knees. His arms were shaking.

The boy noticed, eyes flickering around his room. "You don't have a candle. Aren't you cold?"

"Answer me first."

"27. Aren't you cold?"

Shane opened his mouth, confused. "What do you mean '27'? What does that have to do with-"

"Call me 27. That's my name," the boy explained, pulling the blanket off of his shoulders and balling it up. "Are you cold?"

Before Shane could respond, the boy was shoving the blanket through the hole in the wall. Shane tried to push it back, but it fell through anyways. "Wait, no, you should-"

"I have a candle," 27 shrugged, turning his head. "Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm fine," Shane pulled the blanket to him, pulling it over himself. It was thin, but worked surprisingly well.

27 nodded, shuffling away quickly back to his candle. He picked up a small wooden spoon, stirred the cup, then came back to Shane.

"What's your name?" they asked, sitting cross legged on the floor. He leaned his head against the wall, Shane mirroring him so he could see him through the gap. "Why are you here?"

"I… Well, I don't know why I'm here. But my name's Shane," he pulled a tight-lipped frown, staring at the wall. "How long have you been here?"

27 seemed to think it over, looking up at the ceiling. His fingers danced together on the floor to a song in the boy's head, keeping time with the tapping of his foot. "I don't know, what day is it?"

"May 14th."

"What year?"

"2015."

"Oh," 27's face scrunched up. He muttered something under his breath along the lines of 'How do you count years backwards' before shrugging again. "A while, I guess."

Shane nodded, glancing around his room. "How long do you think I'll be here?"

"I hope not too long," the boy closed his eyes, pulling his hair over his shoulder. "It sucks down here."

Shane blinked, standing up to pace around. He followed the line of the walls for a while before his legs started hurting. He kneeled back down at the hole to see the boy eating some yellow-ish soup out of the metal tin. 27 looked up, swallowing what was in his mouth. He held out the can as an offer.

"I don't want to eat your food," Shane shook his hands, but 27 just raised his eyebrows. He turned around to the pile of half-eaten food by the door before looking back. "O-oh, uh, okay then. But not that, something else."

27 nodded, placing the cup down and standing up. He dug through the pile of trays before pulling out a little cardboard box. He brought it back, pulling out a large handful of granola bars and shoving them through the hole. "I hate these things," 27 chuckled, reaching into the box to pull out another handful. "There's these little uh… peanut bits in them. I hate nuts."

"Are you allergic?" Shane asked, picking one up and pulling off the wrapper. He bit off a chunk, chewing it carefully. They weren't that bad- a little cold, but not awful.

27 shook his head, shoving the last of them through. He folded the box a bit, barely managing to shove it through the gap. "I like them on their own, but they just ruin stuff when they're in it. Like, cakes and brownies and stuff especially."

Shane nodded, chewing. The two ate in silence, 27 drinking the rest of the soup before placing the cup back where it had been before. He walked over to the front of the room, where a wall went up to about his shoulders before turning into closely-knit bars. He reached through them, ringing a small bell by flicking at it.

He crawled back to Shane, sitting a bit closer to the gap in the wall. "I've gotta go do my work for today. I'll come back soon. If you need anything from anyone, just ring that little bell and someone will come," 27 explained, waving. He held a finger up to his mouth as he stood up, walking to the door.

It pushed open to reveal a shorter, curvy woman in the clothes he saw on all the others. She had a gun on her hip, a knife next to it. She grabbed 27's arm, pulling him out and shutting the door. They walked away in the opposite direction, leaving Shane alone once again.

He ate granola bars curled up in the corner until Akara came back and let him use the restroom. A few women would walk past at times, usually holding some sort of clipboard or stacks of paper. Akara dropped a cup of water on the ledge where Shane could reach it.

27 ran by at one point, but, as with everyone else, Shane could only see the top half of his body through the bars. He was still seated in the back of his cell when 27 waved to him before jogging away.

When the boy finally came back, he looked dead tired. After the door locked shut, 27 relit his candle and picked it up. The lights in the hallway went out seconds later.

He walked to Shane quietly and sat down. "Hey, how're you doing?"

"Uncomfortable," Shane sighed, shuffling to turn more towards the wall. He could see the boy's face pressed close to the gap in the soft candlelight. "But they aren't mean or anything. They're quite pleasant. It's just… not home."

27 made a noise. "I get that. They probably won't hurt you, at least not while Akara's around. She most likely brought you in as bait, not torture fuel," he explained, a soft popping noise coming from his cell. "Did you eat?"

"I had the granola bars."

"They didn't bring you food?" Shane heard the boy quickly shuffle to the back of his room before returning. "All I have is cans, and I can't fit… one second."

Shane saw his hand poke through the hole, a lot thinner than Shane's. He gripped the brick next to the hole, tugging on it hard. Shane put a hand on it and pushed with him. They felt it go loose before it fell through and hit 27's lap. "Yes, oh my god I didn't think that would work," 27 chuckled.

The boy picked up something in his lap and rolled it through the gap into Shane's hand. "It's uhh… tuna?"

"Yeah, is that okay? I don't want to pass you anything hot," 27 looked hopefully through the gap.

Shane nodded. "Yeah that's fine. But uhm, do you have something I can eat this with?"

"O-oh! Yeah! Sorry, I forgot," 27 laughed embarrassed, walking away. He heard some tray clatter before 27 returned and placed a fork on the ledge. "Here, keep that one. I have a bunch of forks."

Shane smiled, prying the lid of the can. He coughed at the smell- it was much stronger than anything he'd smelled in a while- before grabbing the fork and taking a bite.

For prison food, it wasn't half bad.

"So, tell me a bit about you," 27 hummed, pulling open his own can. He took out a spoonful of some kind of bean and held it over the candle for a moment. Shane could see scorch marks on the bottom of the spoon. "Who do you think got you into this mess?"

Shane swallowed his mouthful, sighing. "Probably Emily. She's this… this girl. She's _way_ out of my league, but for some reason she asked me out. I… I know that this has to do with her. Someone hurt me before so she'd give them information about something."

"Emily, huh? Yeah, I bet she is. I've heard Akara say that name before," 27 waved his spoon in a _Continue_ motion.

"Well, I'm not surprised. I don't know why she's with me, especially since she keeps going after all these other guys. But I mean… there's gotta be a reason right?" Shane whispered, this sad sense of hope under his voice. "I can't let myself believe that all she wants to do is hurt me."

27 nodded, blinking at the floor. "But you also have to understand that there _are_ people like that," he looked up, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "People who throw you in harm's way so they don't have to be there themselves."

Shane shuddered, placing his food on the floor. "Did you… is that why you're here?"

"...I don't know. Maybe? I don't remember," 27 sighed, rubbing his head. "Sorry, it's been a long time. I don't even remember who I was."

"That's…" Shane curled his knees into his chest. "That's so sad…"

"Don't do that. I don't like pity," 27 huffed, shoving another spoonful into his mouth. "Anyways, you're how old? Twelve?"

"I'm fourteen," Shane hummed, stirring the tuna around in it's can. "Do you know how old you are?"

27 closed his eyes, thinking. "I think… 15? Or 16? I'm not an adult. At least, I don't think I am… was I? Anyways, I'm a teen-ish thing, I guess."

"You look like it. At least, your face kinda does. Your voice sounds a bit older," Shane yawned, eating the last of his can. "So how do you sleep in here? It looks uncomfortable."

27 chuckled. "It is. But if you sleep in the corners you tend to be a lot warmer. The cold air chills out in the middle and front of the room., so the back corners aren't as bad."

"I wish you had a blanket."

"I'll be fine."

Shane sighed, placing his can back on the little ledge between them. "Thank you," he yawned again, blinking his eyes. "I'm gonna… try to sleep."

"I will too. Goodnight," 27 smiled, blowing out the candle. Shane could hear him shuffle around on the other side of the wall before everything went quiet. Shane suddenly became hyper aware of his own breathing as he sat, wide awake on the floor.

He hoped he'd be going home soon.

Their schedule became fairly routine over the next couple of days (or well, days in the facility. Shane didn't know if they were _actually_ days anymore). They would wake up, wait on each other, chat, and then 27 would leave for most of the day before coming back. He left twice some days, not coming back until pretty late, when the hall lights were dimmed.

One day, however, when 27 was pulled from his cell, the woman came to Shane's cell as well, unhinging the door. She shoved it open, clapping her hands. Shane jumped, blinking. "Come on," she scoffed, walking in and tugging him away from the blanket on the floor. She pushed him into the hall next to 27.

Shane realized how tall 27 was now. He was mostly leg, easily clearing Shane by half a foot, probably more.

"Belli? What's going on?" 27 stepped forward, the lady pulling them both by their arms.

"Akara's gone. It's time to start his work," she spat, her nails digging into Shane's skin. He let her tug him along, not saying a word. He kept looking over to 27, hoping for an explanation, but the other boy had nothing.

She eventually pushed them into a room, Shane stumbling forward and hitting the floor. 27 quickly pulled him up, holding him up with an arm under his shoulders. "You okay?" he whispered, brushing some of Shane's hair out of his face.

Shane shook his head, rubbing his knee. "What's going on?"

"Wish I knew," 27 looked around, not as if he were lost, but more as if he were looking for something.

That _something_ appeared to be the woman who walked in behind them. Gina. "You know, 27, we warned you not to give him food," she placed a hand on his back, guiding him forcefully forward. "We said we'd handle it."

"You were gonna give him that shit you give me when Akara isn't looking. I can't let you starve a healthy boy out like that," 27 rubbed his hands together, never looking at the woman. Shane watched him walk towards an empty patch of turf. "What're you gonna make him do? Fight me or something? 'Cause that isn-"

"Not quite," Gina snapped her fingers, pointing at Belli. She grabbed Shane by the shoulders, forcing him into a seat where she held him down. "It's your choice. Either he can watch you-" she pulled out the knife from her belt- "fight me, or I'll give him a little _knick_." She emphasized the last word with a quick flick of her wrist towards Shane, who jumped in his seat.

27 looked at Shane for a moment before looking back at her. "What would I fight you with?"

"Your hands, silly," Gina chuckled as if she'd said something funny. 27 looked down at his hands before nodding. "You're gonna fight me?"

"Yeah," 27 swallowed. "I will."

"Why'd you do it?" Shane whispered, hands placed against the stone between them. "I could've taken it."

27 had a towel pressed against his shoulder. There was blood running down his arm, mostly dried, but some still bubbling out from a deep cut near his neck. His forearms were covered in long cuts, and there was a chunk of skin missing from his ankle from Gina's last attempt to inflict some damage before letting them leave.

"She's a sadist, she wouldn't have stopped after one little cut," 27 frowned, hissing at the wound. "Jesus, I can't feel my arm."

"I want to help you," Shane whined, pulling the blanket over his shoulders tighter. "You look like you're in so much pain. And you're so cold…"

27 shook his head, blinking at Shane. "Don't feel like that. I've been here a long time, I can handle it. But I don't want you to suffer, no matter how long you're here."

"Just… don't hurt yourself for me. You barely know me."

"Doesn't feel like it anymore."

"I... it really doesn't, huh?" Shane chuckled, leaning his head against the wall. "But I guess you get pretty close when you're the only ones you can talk to."

27 smiled, rubbing his shoulder a bit. "Yeah, I guess that's true," he leaned his head onto the towel so he could use his hand to grab the can in front of him. It was full of fruit. "It was nice to see you. You know, _actually_ see you, not through a little gap in the wall."

"Yeah. You're taller than I thought."

"You're a lot better looking when it's not through a dusty gap in a brick wall."

"I'm… flattered?"

"You better be."

Every few days, Belli would come back and drag them both out, making either 27 or Shane choose for one of them to take on the challenge. 27 made him agree to choose him if he felt he could handle it, but most of the time Shane felt awful forcing him into something that would hurt him. This went on for a while.

Then Akara came back.

No one spoke of what the two had gone through, but Akara could feel some sort of tension between the two. She seemed to be pondering something for the next few days, giving Shane and 27 extra water and food.

Shane could tell Akara treated 27 like a son, never hurting him herself or treating him poorly. To her he wasn't some wild animal like the other women seemed to think. She treated him more human than anyone else. Aside from Shane, of course.

She caught them talking at one point, but didn't say anything. Just nodded to 27, tossed him a water bottle through the gate, and walked away.

One day she let Shane go on a walk with 27, with someone 27 called "132" watching over them instead of any of the women. They had clothes that were similar to the women's, with them being long-sleeved, but not black and red. They were a sort of static blue and white jumpsuit with buttons down the sides.

They were pretty nice. They gave Shane a cookie.

When 27 and Shane started to be quidd back, Akara quickly ran out from the direction their cells were, a look of panic. "I was right, there's a gas leak," she spoke to 132, walking past the two boys. "Can you get Lo to gather their stuff and move it? Tell her she can pull some of the Authors off duty if she wants to."

"Ma'am, we only have one cell left in our block," 132 crossed their arms. "Remember? We lost a bunch of them to that earthquake, then we turned it into the track. We can't put them in separate cells unless you want the Authors to double up. Which is an _awful_ idea, ma'am."

Akara blinked, shaking her head. "I know that, dipshit. Put them in the same cell," she scowled. "This is my agency, I think I'd know how many cells we have."

"Sorry, ma'am. I'll get on it," 132 bowed, nodding to Shane and 27. "Come on, you're moving cells."

The two blinked at each other before slowly following. They trailed a few steps behind.

"What's happening?" Shane whispered, looking up at 27.

"They're putting us in a cell together I think. We were in Block C, which had about 8 large cells in total. There's been a bunch of issues over there with piping and stuff, so I'm guessing the gas line broke in C so we have to move."

Shane smiled a bit. "So we're gonna be in the same room now?" he blinked up at the boy. "Like, all the time?"

"I guess so," 27 chuckled, pulling an arm over Shane's shoulders. "I gotta warn you, I'm a mess."

"Oh, I know. I'm not blind," Shane snarked, bumping 27's shoulder with his head. The boy huffed, lifting his arm to push Shane's shoulder gently. The two chuckled before 27 walked forward to whisper something to 132. They nodded, making 27 smile and roll his eyes before falling back to walk next to Shane.

27 didn't seem all that shocked by the news, making Shane expect that he probably knew this would happen eventually. Shane was excited, however. He never got to really talk to 27 face-to-face much at all. The only times they had outside of that day were when they managed to use the washroom at the same time. It was this large room near the women's sleeping quarters, and sometimes the two would end up in there at the same time.

Their new cell was actually pretty close to the bathroom. It was directly between block A and B, in a dirty-looking, barely used hallway. The cell itself, however, looked a _lot_ better.

"Holy shit it's a fucking _bed_ ," Shane whispered, standing next to 27 in the door. There were no bars into the cell, just one reinforced window with a metal screen over it. That appeared to be standard for cell block B from what Shane could tell.

There was also a small table covered in candles, a cardboard box full of can underneath. A few packs of cigarettes and matchbooks were also on the table.

Next to it was an old record player and a few records lined up on the floor. "No way," 27 smiled. "That's Akara's."

Shane walked in, looking around in awe. "This is better than my own damn house," he chuckled, placing two hands on the bed and pushing down. "Dude it has a _mattress_. Is this a dream?"

"Not quite," Akara laughed, walking in. She was carrying a small box in her hands which she passed to 27. "Here, give yourself a haircut."

"S-scissors? Really?" 27 placed them on the table. "I've been down here so damn long and I didn't even know we _had_ this stuff."

Akara nodded, leaning against the door. "A lot of this is mine. I feel a bit…" she looked over to Shane. "Responsible. For something. And I'm hoping this can make up for that in some way."

Shane made a sound in confusion.

"You see," Akara sighed, pushing back her hair from her face. "You're here to lure someone here. Someone we need. For research. But… it seems they may _not_ be coming. They should've been here by now."

"Is it Emily?" Shane frowned, sitting down on the bed. Akara sat about a foot away from him.

She nodded. "We left her proof that we'd brought you here, and we knew she'd be able to find the location. But… it seems she isn't- well, she may not be coming. So I decided that I should move you somewhere better for now, and the gas leak was just more reason to do so. Plus, you and 27 get along very well, and I thought you could use a friend."

"But i-if she's not coming, then why n-not let me leave?" Shane looked like he was about to cry, making himself small on the bed. "I want to go home."

Akara ran a hand over her face. "I wish I could, but I don't know how safe that is yet. It could compromise our whole operation if I do. But… but can let you do one thing," Akara waved for 132, who was still standing in the door and started whispering to them.

Shane looked up to see 27 smoking by the ventilator in the wall. He stood up, walking to sit next to him. "Hi."

The boy looked over, smiling sadly. "Hey," he whispered, traces of smoke escaping his mouth and drifting into the vent. "I'm… sorry. About that. I was hoping that wasn't the case."

"I just…" Shane rubbed his eyes. "I just want to go home," he sobbed, covering his face with his arms. He heard 27 quickly shuffle before he felt him pulling him closer into a hug. Shane buried his face into the bandage in his shoulder, trying not to hurt him.

"I know, it's okay," 27 soothed, rubbing circles in his back. "But she didn't say you couldn't go home. She just said not yet," 27 pulled back a bit, pushing Shane's face up a bit so he'd look at him. "Just… hold on for me. At least for now. Okay?"

Shane sniffed, nodding, before pulling 27 back towards him. "You're all I have now."

"And you're all I've ever had," 27 cried, his face in Shane's hair. "I'll try and help you, okay? Even if I can't get you out of here."

"Okay," Shane whispered, rubbing his face into 27's shirt. "Okay. We'll be there f-for each other. Promise?" Shane leaned back, holding up his pinkie."

27 chuckled, wrapping his pickie around Shane's. "Promise."

Akara sat patiently on the bed until Shane walked back and stood in front of her. She held out a small, flat box. "If you'd like, you may write them a few letters. We'll handle the delivery. We'll try and see if we can get them to send you anything. Just… don't say anything about us. We'll be reading these over and if you try and give us away, we'll have to revoke this. Okay?"

"You're going to let me write to my parents?" Shane half-heartedly smiled, still a bit upset.

"Yes, as long as you follow our rules."

"O-okay. I will. I promise."

"You're a good child," Akara sighed, handing him the box. "I feel awful that I did this too you, Shane."

He crossed his arms, looking out the window. "It's… I mean, it's not okay, but... but I sort of understand. I just… wish I'd never been brought into this, but it's still a bit my fault."

"It's not your fault," Akara assured him, standing up. "It's never anyone like you's fault." She walked around him, leaning down next to 27. "Here, can I see your wound?" she pulled at the bandages, unraveling them a bit to see it. "Oh good, it's doing well. I'm glad to see you're smoking too."

"I know the drill," 27 joked, unwrapping the bandages.

Akara nodded, standing up and backing towards the door. "Well, I'm about to shut off the hall lights. Don't be too loud, the Authors and I are just down either end of the hall."

She walked out, closing the door with a rather loud lock. Shane and 27 sat in silence before 27 spoke up, "Are you hungry?"

"Uh, not really," Shane chuckled, sitting down on the bed. "Just tired."

"Okay, then we might as well talk about the bed situation," 27 stood up, stretching his back.

Shane swung his legs up. "What's there to talk about?"

"Like, are we gonna alternate?"

"Uh, no? We can both fit. This thing's big enough."

"But are you comfortable? With that?"

"I was kidnapped and slept on the floor for ages, I don't give a shit about sharing a bed."

"O-okay, cool," 27 sat down next to him, Shane shifting towards the other side so he had more room. He pushed down the blanket- which, by the way, was _much_ nicer than the older one- and let 27 lay down before pulling it up. As he did, the lights shut off, and he wiggled under. He turned a bit before ending up on his side, facing 27. 27 was facing him too.

"G-goodnight, Shane," she whispered, pulling the blanket over his shoulders. Shane could barely see him.

"Night," Shane smiled, closing his eyes. He felt 27 roll around for a while, obviously not used to the feel of the mattress, before settling into place as Shane fell asleep.

They somehow, every night, without fail, ended up flush against each other in the middle of the bed. Shane was pretty sure their bodies just naturally drew towards each other's heat, but 27 was still embarrassed about it.

But he eventually just gave up complaining, and before either of them realized, they were naturally starting the nights next to each other.

Shane learned a lot more after 27 and him started sharing a room. 27 seemed to talk more when he could sit right next to him.

First was that 27 knew how to swing dance.

He didn't really say it, but more showed it. Most of the records they were left were swing records, so when 27 put on in he just… started dancing.

27 thought it looked stupid to swing dance by himself.

Shane thought he looked magnificent.

He ended up accepting 27's offer for him to teach Shane how to dance, so they started swing dancing every afternoon when 27 came back.

Shane loved when they could dance. 27 had such interesting… well, he was just interesting in every way. But the way he moved and the way his hands felt and how he knew just how to explain something so that Shane could understand… it amazed him.

Second off, Shane learned 27 secretly craved to touch you. He would do things from subtly placing his hand on your back to flat-out hugging you while you were talking. Especially when Shane was eating.

Third was that 27 looked _hot_ with a haircut. He let Shane cut his hair down a bit with the scissors, and he ended up giving him a sort of bob. It made his face look a lot softer, especially after he started using the bathroom sink to wash his hair.

Shane realized that 27 started keeping himself healthier when he was around. He ate more, slept more, and was generally cleaner.

27 admitted later that he kept himself cleaner so that Shane might hug him more.

Shane hugged him a lot anyways.

That was the other thing- he was _great_ at hugging. He had these long arms and was just tall enough where Shane didn't feel small, just… safer. And more at home.

He forgot he'd been kidnapped a lot. He felt like he was just living in some fort of apartment with his roommate or friend.

Or boyfriend.

 _God_ how he wished he was his boyfriend.

Shane wasn't generally attracted to men. At least, he didn't think he was. But he hadn't really been attracted to many people ever, so it was hard to say. But even if he was straight as a nail, he knew 27 was somehow an exception.

He at first blamed it on the fact he was just overly connected to 27 since he was the only one Shane could talk to. But he sort of realized after awhile that no, that wasn't the case.

And it explained everything a whole hell of a lot better.

He couldn't tell if 27 liked him back. 27 was this sort of… neutral ground. Hard to read a lot of the time. Sometimes he'd snuggle next to him, listening to records with an arm around him, while other times he'd sit as far away as he could and not touch him all day.

But 27 _knew_ Shane liked him.

And he also _knew_ he liked Shane.

But there was a big problem. 27 didn't want either of them to get connected, cause that would mean either Shane would leave and they'd both be heartbroken, or Shane would stay with him until 27 was inevitably sent out on his mission and the same issue would occur.

Then 27 learned something. Shane didn't know _what_ , but it was obvious.

27's mood completely flipped.

He danced more, wasn't afraid to dance by himself, ate with Shane on the bed, didn't disappear to smoke… but most importantly he _never stopped smiling_.

All. Night.

And Shane was keeping track.

27 ended up sitting him down on the bed as he smoked, something he normally did off by the vent, but after asking Shane who said it was fine, at least just for that night, he did it next to him. Shane was surprised at the lack of odor.

27 explained a lot of things that night. He told Shane the basis of his mission, that he was meant to do research far away from here. He said that he knew that either way, one of them would end up leaving the other.

But then he said he'd find him again. 27 said it with pure confidence, "I know, though, that I'll find you again. No matter how long it takes."

Shane knew he was trying to say something.

And he was pretty sure he knew what it was.

Shane was also shocked to discover that night that cigarettes, or at least the ones he was smoking, didn't taste like anything. Well, maybe they did. But Shae was a bit distracted by 27 to tell.

6 months.

Shane was there for over half a year.

Him and 27 dated for about 3 of those.

They instantly became inseparable, Shane following him to fight practise and training with someone 27 knew named 21. They were this bald, lanky author, but they taught him a sweet kick over about a month.

Someone jokingly taped a condom over their door with "Of course the only two boys in this whole damn facility would be gay for each other" written in small font while they were out, but 27 unjokingly tore it off and shoved it in his pocket. They never did use it, though. They never got the time.

27 and Shane got really good at swing dancing together. They learned a few fully-choreographed dances to songs on their records, and Shane surprised himself with his coordination.

Shane also learned that 27 was just as good at hugging as he was every other romantic gesture he did. Shane appreciated that, seeing as he had no clue what he was doing.

All he knew was that he really cared for 27 and that 27 really cared about him.

At about month 4, he forgot he'd been kidnapped all together. At month 5, he never wanted to leave.

Akara treated them very nicely in those last three months. She only left for three days to visit her daughter, and when she came back Shane was sporting a matching shoulder scar to his boyfriend.

27's harsh training seemed to disappear after a while. He did mostly running exercises, which he was already very good at. He liked to jog with Shane a lot in their spare time.

Shane remembered every day in vivid detail.

They were the best three months of his life.

But they all came crumbling down on December 16, 2015.

They were dancing, as they always did in the afternoons, Shane laughing as 27 tried to explain the choreography using two bean cans. "Babe, come on, I'm trying," 27 chuckled, ruffling Shane's hair.

"I know you are, but you're rubbish at it," Shane pushed the cans across the floor.

"The beans!" 27 tried to grab them as the rolled away, but just ended up falling flat on the floor. " _Shane_ ," he whined, laying defeated.

Shane chuckled, leaning forward to kiss him for a moment. "Come on, just show me. It's easier that way."

"How about I just…" 27 smirked flopping onto his back. He grabbed one of Shane's hands and pulled him onto the floor with him. Shane huffed, scooting into 27's side. "See? Isn't that better?"

"We'll learn it later," Shane agreed, placing his hand on 27's face.

They got distracted a lot.

The two stayed laying on the floor for a while, talking between short kisses about random little things. Shane liked when they did that, just relaxed together. He'd play with 27's hair sometimes, or they'd just sit together. A lot of the time Shane would end up with his back pressed to his chest, 27's arms around his torso.

That's what happened on December 16, 2015.

Also on December 16, 2015, Emily finally showed up.

And it wasn't what she should have done.

The two jumped apart as sirens blared throughout the facility. Swarms of Authors and RED operatives swarmed through the halls, and before Shane said a word, 27 was tugging him up.

"What's-"

"I don't know, but I'm gonna try and use this distraction," 27 pulled him to the door, and when he pulled on the latch, it easily opened into the hall. "Come on, let's go," he hissed, pulling Shane out as the crowd ran in the opposite direction.

Shane let 27 pull him along the halls, never once running into any operatives who would try and stop them.

27 stopped at a door labelled _Silo_. "Here, this is the only way above ground aside from the exit," he explained, pulling open the door and pulling Shane inside. He quickly shut the door.

Shane looked around, especially up. The silo was a super tall warehouse with a single ladder going all the way to the top. 27 started up the ladder before shane could ask any questions. "A-are we gonna get out of here?"

"Maybe. Either way, I'm gonna find a way for _you_ , okay?" 27 called down as shane followed behind him. "You believe me with my promise, right?"

"Of course, love," Shane cried. "But you aren't leaving, right?"

27 went silent.

"Right?"

"I can't know. But just know that _you_ are my priority, Shane. You'll always be my priority."

The two quickly reached the top, which, luckily, had large windows.

The _unlucky_ thing was that they were easily three stories off the ground.

"I'll jump down first," 27 leaned against the window. "I'll catch you. I'll be better off landing this jump."

As 27 put his foot on the ledge, Shane kissed him on the cheek. "Good luck, 27."

"Don't worry, it'll all be okay," 27 took a breath before leaping from the window. Shane watched him hit the ground harshly, but he rolled to ease the impact.

Shane could see him limping into position.

"Hurry! Come on!" he yelled over the loud fighting coming from somewhere farther away in the field. Shane swung his feet over the window, closed his eyes for a moment, then pushed off.

Just as he promised, 27 caught him easily. "See, all that dancing payed off," 27 chuckled, his voice exposing his pain.

"27, your ankle," Shane sat him down, lifting 27's ankle in his hand. It was visibly broken.

27 pushed his hands away, attempting to stand up. "I-I'll be okay. We can't wait around. Come on," he tried to pull Shane along, but he was limping too slow. Shane lifted as much weight off 27 as he could as they walked.

"We're gonna be okay, it's okay," shane whispered over and over, assuring both 27 and himself. They made it about halfway across the field before they heard shouting.

At them.

"27! What in the fuck do you think you're _doing_?!" Gina yelled, Shane quickly glancing behind him to see her quickly running across the field.

"Go, Shane," 27 whispered, pushing Shane in front of him. "Go, you can make it."

"No! I won't-"

"Do you believe me, Shane?" 27 sobbed, still pushing Shane along. "Do you trust me?"

Shane nodded, backing away.

"Then go, love. I'll find you again," 27 promised, shoving Shane one final time. "Now run! Go!"

Shane sobbed, turning away and sprinting towards the large vans parked in the distance. He saw people rushing around, fighting each other. Everyone avoided him as he ran.

"Shane!" he heard someone yell ahead of him, and he turned to see a familiar flash of pink hair. "Oh my god, you're alive!" Emily grabbed him by the arm, pulling him. "Come on, I've got a car. We can leave."

"N-no! Please, can you… theres another one. With me. 27. Can you find him, please?" Shane begged as Emily opened the back of a van.

She pushed him into the back, tugging on her ponytail. "I'll… I'll see. What's he look like?"

"He has shoulder-length hair, he's really lanky, and he broke his ankle."

"Stay here, and don't get shot," Emily hissed, slamming the door shut.

Shane sat huddled up in the corner of the van, listening to the sound of gunshots outside the van. A few bullets would hit the metal, leaving indents in the van's walls.

Emily jumped into the driver's seat suddenly, turning on the van. "Did you find him?"

"He's dead," Emily spat, slamming on the gas, throwing Shane to the back wall.

"W-what?! No, no there's… he said he'd-"

"I don't care _what_ he said, he's dead. I saw him. He was being carried away. He was dead," she yelled, making a sharp turn. "Now shut up and let me drive!"

Shane sat in shock, trying his best to remain steady as the van tossed him around. _He can't be dead he can't be dead he can't be dead he can't be-_

"You said you'd find me again," he whispered to himself, holding a hand to his face. He laced his own hands together, trying to remember what his hands felt like. "You promised, asshole."

…

"You promised."

…

 **!ERROR!**

 **!ERROR!**

 **ANOMALY DETECTED**

 **IDs 'The_Author' and 'Mizuno, Hana' have been terminated**

 **Executing drive share**

…

 **Drive is attempting to be accessed**

…

 **Drive access granted to 'West'**

' **The_Author' and 'Mizuno, Hana' found in timeline EarAANB-Rou45B-Hj8i0Y from current timeline EarGloEmSa-RouERROR-[TERM]**

…

 **ID 'West' has logged off**


	32. Chapter Thirty Two - Paper Doors

**c.x'The_Author' and 'Mizuno, Hana' being processed to EarAANB-Rou45B-Hj8i0Y using protocol 'SaveSystemOption1-ResetTrue'**

…

 **!ERROR!**

 **UNSTABLE TIMELINE DETECTED**

 **PLEASE CONTACT 'Author 027' FOR TROUBLESHOOT**

…

 **Now contacting 'Author 027'**

…

' **The_Author' and 'Mizuno, Hana' found in EarGloEmSa-RouERROR-[TERM]**

Before anyone in the Hairpins knew it, three big things happened.

First, Emmy's friend Mira dragged all her friends into the club, bringing their total member count up to, as quoted by Owen, "Way too fucking many."

Then, four of their jackets came in for Emmy, Owen, Ethan and James, the later working with Jirard to tailor them and sew in the patches. They were black and white, fitting with iPlay theme, with their names embroidered along the bottom inside portion of the jacket.

They also got their first performance opportunity.

A dance was being held by the student council late in the year, the theme based on submissions by students. Paul, Nick and Josh worked with Jared to decide which theme would be the most interesting and possible, and ended up deciding on a 1920s swing aesthetic. Emmy managed to hear about it early through a conversation during lunch, and quickly jumped on the opportunity for them to perform.

Owen learned quickly that it was indeed West's idea after telling him and Nialle about it whilst working on an art project. He almost immediately ran off to tell Ryan, leaving the roommates alone again.

"You need to clean your desk," Nialle snarked from her bed, not looking up from her phone. "There's crap everywhere."

"Yeah?" Owen hummed. "Well, you need to mind your fucking business."

Nialle hissed through her teeth. "It's my room too."

"And it's my desk."

"We already had ants, Owen."

"That wasn't my fault."

"You left a bag of _chocolate_ on the _floor_ and it all _disappeared_."

"It wasn't the ants-"

" _It wasn't the ants_ -"

"Stop fucking mocking me" Owen spun around in her chair, tossing a crumpled piece of paper at her roomate. It missed, and Nialle just picked it up and tossed it in the trash. "Slut."

Nialle rolled her eyes. "Calm down."

Owen just stomped over to the trash and dug the paper out, placing it on her desk and flattening it on her desk. "Whatever, I'm bored. I'm going to James's room."

"Don't-"

"Go fuck your girlfriend or something and get off my ass," Owen slammed the door, leaving Nialle by herself. Again.

She'd never understand how James put up with her so well, much less managed to keep her consistently calm.

Nialle opened her texts to look at any she'd missed. It was just photos of her cousins she'd gotten from her aunt, where they were running around at what appeared to be a picnic. Her mother was holding the youngest in the background, seemingly consoling him.

She hated to miss the family gatherings, but she knew she was making them proud. They all had wished her off here with a picnic similar to the one they were at now, with cake and music and all of her cousins breaking into her room to steal her shit.

Fond memories.

After sending back a simple heart in response, she slumped out of bed, stretching her arms over her head. She began aimlessly braiding her hair, phone tossed onto her bed behind her.

Nialle paced the perimeter of her side of the room, kicking Owen's clothes and papers back onto her side. The divide was made obvious by a line of yellow duct tape across the floor, one that Owen put in place to keep Nialle out. The doorway was marked in blue, signifying a dead zone.

The whole system was unnecessarily complicated, with specific things being okay or not okay to cross or sit between the lines. Their desks were back-to-back across the line, with the only thing crossing into boths sides being a trash bin.

Nialle had decorated her half of the room with gold and navy colors, with metallic ribbons hung using pins and her sheets scattered with stars. She even had those little glow-in-the-dark ceiling stars, a gift from her _Jaijai_ , of whom's name came from her then baby cousin's inability to say "Jaddati".

Pictures of them hung from the ribbons with clothespins, cutouts of the planets glued to the wood. Her "certificate" she got from a space camp was also there, but it wasn't really an award persay.

Nialle loved space since she was as young as four years old. Her dad would tell her fairytales of Princesses throwing stars like confetti across the sky, making creatures from the dust. She learned their names, from East to West, building and painting anything she could to put the sky in her bedroom.

This passion grew into a curiosity for everything beyond what she knew. All of space became her goal, to know everything she could. Under her desk sat worn astrology and astronomy textbooks from elementary to university and beyond. Her mother only cut into her obsession when it began replacing her studying, limiting her personal research to just one a week.

Nialle's biggest dream was to be an astronaut.

But Owen thought it was stupid and ignorant of her to have such an unlikely dream. "She doesn't know anything," Nialle muttered, stopping in front of her vanity, to tie her braid at the end. "Her dad just gives her anything she wants."

A sudden ringing of her phone called her back to her bed, and before she realized, she had answered and put the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" she hummed, fiddling with her sheets. There was a loud shuffle on the other end of the line, and what sounded like muffled talking. "Huh? Is someone there?"

"Nialle?" the line cleared up, the shuffling ceasing. "Sorry, I had my phone upside down."

Rolling her eyes, she pulled her legs to cross in her lap. "You're fine, Emmy. What's up?"

"Well, uhm, ya' see…" Emmy stuttered, the sound of something falling distracting her. "Stop it! I told you to quit messing with that," she hissed, a muddled response picked up.

"Oh, are you with someone?"

"Yeah, uh, Shane! I swear to god, do I need to come over there-"

"I'm picking it up, shush."

"Sorry, Nialle. Yeah, Shane's here. That's what I called about," Emmy sighed, the springs of her bed shifting softly in the background. "He found this uh, this paper thing. A whole book of numbers and shit. But like, we can't fucking read," she chuckled, flipping through the papers.

Nialle was already standing, her phone pressed to her ear by her shoulder. She tugged at a boot, jumping around on one foot. "What? Shane can't read."

"Yes I fucking _can_ -"

"He's dyslexic," Emmy laughed, Shane making sounds of frustration. "Stop it, I'm talking. Anyways, he's been trying to read this packet for like, ten minutes, but the font is the worst thing I've ever seen and it's at something like 5 point font."

Nialle, pushed out of her dorm, tapping her boot against the floor to try and unbunch her socks. "I'm heading over. You're in your room right?"

"Oh, yeah. Jeez you move fa-"

"Here."

Nialle hung up the phone and knocked on Emmy's door. Her room was up one floor, and Nialle's was right near the stairwell, so it took barely any time to get there. The door opened to reveal a very unamused Shane and Emmy lounging on her bed. Nialle nodded to the boy as she stepped inside,

"Good lord," Emmy chuckled, pushing up to stand. Her glasses were on her face, a contacts case lying on her bed. As Nialle placed her phone down, Emmy wrapped her arms around her shoulders from the side. "Thanks for coming."

"Of course," she smiled, giving Emmy a short hug back. The girl was pulled over to the bed and sat down as Shane dug through a pile of papers on the floor.

Emmy pulled her mouth straight, walking over the Shane and kicking him lightly in the side with her toe. He reciled jokingly, grabbing her by the wrist and tugging her down. "The paper clip fell off."

" _The paper clip fell off_."

"Quit mocking me."

" _Quit mocking me_."

"Your British accent is god awful," Shane rolled his eyes, lining up a stack of papers on the floor. "Here."

" _Here_."

"I swear, Emmilia-"

"If you call me that one more fucking time I'll stab your fucking eye out."

"Twins?"

Emmy made a face to Nialle that made her laugh before passing her the stack. She took one look at it and whistled. "Gosh, I see what you mean," Nialle squinted, tilting her head. The font was tiny, looking almost like fuzzy streaks on the page. The font was almost impossible to read as well, seeing that it was a thin, tall lettering with stiff lines and curves.

She flipped through the pages, each one covered with numbers and symbols without reason. "I think it's some sort of printer test packet, but Shane isn't convinced."

"It can't be," he muttered, sitting at the end of the bed. "I found it in the cafeteria two nights ago, there's o reason for a printer test to be sitting under a table like that."

"Huh," Nialle hummed, stopping on a page near the back. "Look," she turned the page towards Shane, who gave her a look in return. "Oh, yeah, uhm, sorry. It's Russian, I think. At least, it looks like it."

Emmy climbed onto the bed behind Nialle, placing her chin on her shoulder too look at the paper. "No, not quite. It's really similar though. But I'm not quite sure."

"Well, I don't know any slavic languages. I barely know Japanese," Nialle sighed, passing the papers back to Emmy. She moved to stand up, but Emmy grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.

"Please don't leave," Emmy whined with a pout. "Shane's killing me."

Shane huffed.

"Oh shut up, you know what you're doing," Emmy stuck her tongue out, getting a mirrored response. "Please stay?"

"Well, sure, I guess. I don't have anything else to do," Nialle shrugged. "There's not much I can do to help, though."

Shane grabbed the papers out of Emmy's hands, scanning over the page. "Do you think Ethan might know any slavic languages?" he said, his face two centimeters from the page.

Emmy made a hum, scooting over to give Nialle a bit of room. "Perhaps, but I doubt it. He moved out from France more or less, seeing that he knows Spanish, German, Dutch, English, Portuguese… y'know, Western European."

"West might know Russian," Nialle offered. "Actually, I'm almost certain. He has a couple Russian novels in his room, though I'm unsure if he actually has read them."

"Why would he have Russian novels if he couldn't read them?" Shane muttered, stretching his arms. "Well, might as well call them, see what they know."

Emmy poked him in the side as he stretched upwards, making his body recoil. "I'll call Ethan. One of you get West, 'lright?" she pushed off the bed, her glasses falling off her nose a bit.

"I don't ha-"

"Oh fuck off, Shane, I know you have his number. I looked in your phone," Emmy chuckled, picking up her own off the floor where it was charging.

Shane made a loud noise behind his teeth before jumping off the bed and ; Emmy from the back. She laughed as Shane placed his chin on her shoulder and made complaints in the back of his throat.

"I won't say anything, promise," she smiled, stroking his hair back. He slapped her hand away in a semi-playful manner, grabbing his phone from his jacket pocket.

He tilted his head, tapping at something before lightly kicking Emmy's calf with his toe. She turned around, looking down at his screen. She took it from his hands with very little retaliation, scrolling around before passing it back. "Well," she muttered, placing her phone back down.

"Are you two done with the telepathy bullshit yet?" Nialle sighed, folding her arms. Shane turned his head and scowled as Emmy walked back to her bed. Shane frowned and followed. "What's going on?"

"West just texted Shane. Asked if he found a stack of papers the other night," Emmy explained, gathering the sheets from where Shane had hastily strewn them around the bed. He was standing, typing on his phone while reclined on the wall.

Nialle raised her eyebrows. "Well isn't that convenient."

"He's fucking lost," Shane said out loud, already walking to the door. "I'll go hunt him down," turning the handle. "Dumbass."

"There goes the ghost," Emmy rolled her eyes as Shane closed the door behind him. "Pissy-pants."

Nialle's mouth puckered for a moment as she turned to look around the room. She'd been in there a few times, mostly just helping Emmy read or just coming to sit and chat. Emmy warmed up to her quickly, but that appeared to be one of her key traits, seeing that she got in so quickly with Normal Boots and Hidden Block.

Nialle always wanted to ask Emmy how she handled everything happening. She knew about the drama she'd gone through not that long ago- everyone did, in fact. No one really talked about it, though, since it honestly wasn't their business. Emmy wasn't even gone from school much after the incident from what Nialle heard, which seemed odd until she heard Emmy had just gotten back after an injury.

No one knew why Emmy was gone for so long except, it seemed, Emmy herself. But she hardly ever talked about her own issues anyways, so Nialle would have to wait a while to get any answers.

"Hey Nialle," Emmy spoke up, her legs swinging off the bed. "Are you in any clubs?"

"Huh? Oh, uhm, no. There aren't really any I'd be interested in." Niale said, watching Emmy through the corners of her vision. Emmy frowned, wrinkling her nose impatiently. "What?"

"That was where you were supposed to say, 'You know what? I'd love to join the _best_ club led by the _best_ girl in the entire school," Emmy teased, playfully tossing the small strand of hair dangling past her jaw over her shoulder.

Nialle rolled her eyes. "I don't know, I don't think Hidden Block's welcoming any more members…"

"Rude! There's not even any girls in that club."

"Ian's close enough."

Emmy rolled over onto her back, kicking at Nialle with her socks. "I don't think he'd appreciate that," she chuckled, dropping her feet on Nialle's lap. "But no, seriously. Wanna join?"

Nialle made a face, looking away towards the door. "I've never even played an instrument, Emmy. What would I even do?" She felt Emmy lean herself up, using Nialle's forearm as leverage.

"Well, I could always use help with the planning and paperwork. I've heard you're pretty organized," Emmy smiled, drawing back Nialle's attention. "Plus…" Emmy danced her finger's over Nialle's skin, catching her hair between them. "It gets kinda lonely sometimes. I'd appreciate your company…"

"I…" Nialle paused, holding her breath. Emmy was inching closer, her legs still in her lap. But before she could say anything, the door swung open, causing Emmy to fall off the bed, taking the comforter with her.

And Nialle.

"I'm back, fucker," Shane announced, not even fazed by the calamity. "I brought our little Russian man."

"Are you two okay?" West jogged over, pulling away the comforter. "Nothing broken I hope?"

Nialle groaned, shoving him before flopping onto the floor. "Just my dignity," she sighed, helping Emmy climb out from her tangled mess of a blanket.

"Fuck you," Emmy hissed, jumping up with a pillow in her hand. She threw it towards Shane, but he just leaned down, causing the pillow to fly out the door.

It hit Hana square in the face.

"Ah, oh my god! Hana!" Emmy yelled, sprinting out the door. "Since when were you there?!"

"I'm okay," Hana whispered, tapping around on the floor. Emmy picked up her glasses, wiping them off in her shirt. "And I was just trying to find Mai. I heard the loud noise while I was on the stairs and thought she might be here."

Emmy helped Hana place her glasses on her face, pushing back the hair that had fallen over her face. "I'm really sorry. That was meant for Shane."

At the name Shane, Hana snapped her head to the doorway, where Shane was trying and failing to hide behind West as Nialle pushed them both closer to Hana from behind. "Oh, I see," Hana deadpanned, clutching the pillow in one of her hands. "Need any help?"

Before Emmy responded, West had quickly dodged forward towards Emmy, giving Hana a square shot at Shane's stomach.

"Gah, _fuck_ , Hana!" he coughed, kneeling over. "What the shit?!"

"Oh my god, did I actually hurt you?!" Hana panicked, scuttling towards him. "I'm sorry!"

Shane didn't respond, he just placed his hands on the ground.

 _Then_ he hit Hana with the pillow.

"Shane!" Hana squealed as she fell over. "Come on! Cheap shot!"

"Strategy is always, Hana. Did I teach you nothing?" Shane teased, gently hitting her on the back before letting the pillow drop to his side. "You can't sneak attack when I'm expecting it."

"When are you _not_ expecting to get suddenly slammed by a pillow?" Emmy chuckled, dusting her baggy gray sweatshirt as she stood.

Shane pursed his lips, a small smile at the edge. "Neve-"

He was cut off by West gently hitting the back of his head with a small, decorative pillow.

Shane stood frozen for a minute as West smiled, continuing to gently tap him. "You okay buddy?" West laughed, dropping the pillow to place his chin on Shane's shoulder.

"Did you know?" Shane muttered, his gaze fixated at the end of the hall. West scrunched his eyebrows, tilting his head. "You're fuckinqg d _ead West!_ " Shane reeled around, knocking West off his feet into Emmy's room.

"Holy shit Shane!" Hana and Emmy cried, Nialle just laughing in the background from inside. Shane stormed into Emmy's room, already lifting the pillow over his head. Emmy scrambled into her room to find West laughing as Shane beat him into the ground with the soft white cushion.

Nialle grabbed another, larger pillow off Emmy's bed and swung it at Shane to knock him back. "Vengeance!" she yelled, tugging West to his feet.

"This is war," West laughed, grabbing two more pillows and throwing them at Emmy and Hana. "Choose your sides!"

"I'm going with Shane," Hana chuckled, scrambling behind her clubmate. "I'd rather not get clocked into the closet."

Emmy picked up her pillow, looking between them. "Are y'all seriously gonna make me choose? Cause that's kind of rude."

"No, we won't make you…" Nialle smirked. "That just means you're on your own."

"That's not very fAIR," Emmy screeched, Nialle tossing her pillow straight at her. She retaliated with a blind swing. "Give me my glasses, turd."

Nialle laughed, picking up Emmy's glasses. "Turd? Really?"

"Yes, you're a turd. C'mon," Emmy waved her arms, blindly aiming towards Nialle's hands. The other three were fighting behind Nialle, West accidentally hitting Nialle in the back. It made her stumble forward into Emmy a bit, but she caught her before they both fell again.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Nialle chuckled, unfolding Emmy's glasses. "Uhm, here. Let me…" She placed them on to her face, using her index finger to push it onto her nose. "Boop."

"Boop," Emmy smiled, tapping Nialle on the nose. "Oh and, _fight me turd!_ " Emmy yelled, swinging her pillow into Nialle's hip. The other retaliated with a similar wing, throwing them both back into the fight.

The fight lasted about half an hour, devolving into split territories and couch cushion walls. Her room was an actual mess, but Emmy made sure nothing important was hit by using a mixture of loud "Please don't"s and moving a few things into drawers.

It ended with West collapsed on one of the cushions, Hana hiding in a closet, Shane sitting with a pillow held over his face, Nialle sitting with her whole body wrapped in a blanket, and Emmy sitting face-down on the floor staring into a pillow. Hana poked her head out of the door when all went silent, saying, "Is anyone alive?"

Emmy groaned into a pillow while Nialle poked her head out. West, lying about two feet from Nialle, rolled over and tapped her on the forehead playfully. She flashed a little smile, flopping onto her side so her face was resting into her hair.

Shane hadn't moved much, but one of his hands had swung off the pillow to land face up, fully extended from his side. Hana crawled over, sitting cross legged behind him. She lifted the pillow a bit to peek, but Shane just slammed his hand over the pillow's top to keep it down.

"So," Hana started, patting Shane's hair that was poking out. "Why were you all here in the first place?"

Emmy blinked, laughing shyly. "Oh, yeah. Oops. We got really distracted, huh?"

"Hey, we needed something fun to do. School's been stressful," West smiled, sitting up and stretching. "But yeah, we should do that now, huh?"

"We brought West in cause we want him to translate something," Shane muttered into the pillow."

West huffed, shifting to lay down next to Shane. "That wasn't the deal, buddy," West poked Shane's side, the other smacking at his hand blindly. "You just have something of mine."

"Come on, West, you gotta tell us what it is!" Nialle pouted. She squirmed with her blanket, rolling next to West. She laid her chin on his shoulder, making a loud whine. "Don't be _lame_."

"I'm not gonna tell you just because you whine," West sighed, rolling his shoulder to knock Nialle's face away. She continued making loud whining noises, Emmy joining in from across the room. Hana looked around before doing the same. Een Shane made a low, monotonous whine in West's direction. "Jesus! Fine! Just stop!" West covered his ears, chuckling. "You guys are desperate, huh?"

Nialle hummed, rolling over to face Emmy, smiling. The girl responded by grabbing the papers off her bed and throwing them in West's lap. Emmy settled in next to Nialle, who had propped herself up by her arms. Emmy let her lay her head in her lap.

Shane moved the pillow from his face, his cheeks flush from the heat. West chuckled, grabbing the pillow and placing it under Shane's head. The brit made a sound as he rolled on his side to face West.

"Can I stick around?" Hana asked, combing through her hair. "I can leave if you'd like."

"Uhm…" West scanned the papers to find the one page in Russian, shaking his head. "No, you can stick around. It's not really anything important."

Shane sat up from his position, looking West in the eyes. "How will we know you aren't lying?"

West blinked, pursing his lips. "Uhh, I don't know," he chuckled, crossing his legs to prop the pages up. "You'll have to trust me I guess."

The other boy frowned, lifting his pillow so he could sit on it right next to West's shoulder. "I want you to point to words and tell me what they mean," Shane muttered, squinting his eyes at the paper. "If you can even read that small."

"Well, it is _mine_ , but honestly, it's not as important as you guys think it is."

"I wanna hear it anyways," Emmy hummed, Nialle nodding in agreement. Emmy had pulled Nialle's hair out of her braid and was brushing through it slowly. "Ethan _rarely_ speaks other languages outside of French and Japanese."

West scrunched up his face. "I don't actually _speak_ Russian. I don't really know how. I just read it," he frowned, scanning the page. "I mean, I know basic phrases, but nothing more."

"Ugh, fine, but I expect to be greeted in Russian henceforth," Nialle teased.

"Well, let's see," West started, everyone turning their attention towards him. "'The following pages are res… restricted… for those not inclusive, er uh, included, in the following listing.' Then there's a list of names, but I don't know what any of them are. One of them says Tia, she's the one who gave me this. I think it's, uhm…" he pointed to a word, showing it to Shane. "I think it's that one."

Shane nodded for him to continue.

"Okay, well it has the list, then uhh…" he scanned down the page further. "'Should these fallen into bad hand-', er, 'should these fall into the wrong hands, please return them to, uhh,'" West's eyes focused onto a word, but he just shook his head. "It's smudged, I can't read the next few lines."

"I thought this was _your_ packet, West," Nialle hissed. "Shouldn't you know what it says?"

"I haven't actually read through this page in full, I just know the basic gist of it is that they should be returned if lost," West mumbled, scanning the bottom of the page. "Oh! I can read that. 'These pages are to be used by, uh, I think that's authorized? Authorized persons above Rank… Rank три.'"

Shane pointed on the page near the word West skipped. "What's that mean?"

"It's a number. I forgot which one," West brought the paper close to his face. Hana leaned over his other shoulder, the boy pointing to the word. "I think it's two?"

Nialle grabbed her phone from her pocket, handing it to Emmy. "Look up russian numbers," she hummed, Emmy tapping through the phone quickly. "You find them?"

Emmy nodded, showing West the screen.

"Oh! Three. Duh," he chuckled, scanning the rest of the page. "The rest of the paper is basically just the same thing repeated, and some stuff to do if it's lost," he said, placing the papers on the floor. "All they are is a bunch of passwords basically. They're to access random articles and studies and stuff."

"Then why'd you have it?" Shane frowned, looking West in the eye. His eyes widened, Shane nodding. "I get it."

Nialle groaned, running her hands down her face. " _Jesus_ , is _everyone_ telepathic in here?" she kicked West in the shoulder gently, pushing him to lean on Shane. West shoved her foot off. "I just wanna know what's going on."

"It's really nothing," Shane muttered, standing up. He reached out a hand to pull West off the ground. "Plus, I should probably be going."

"Same," West yawned, stretching out his back.

Emmy pouted, grabbing at Shane. "But you _promised_ to watch "Protectors of the Planetary Systems" with me…" she complained, Shane walking over and letting her grab his hand. He leaned down to whisper in her ear so quietly Nialle didn't hear a word.

Shane leaned back, a tiny, almost nonexistent smile on his face. "Is that fine?"

Emmy nodded her head, letting go of Shane's hand. "But you're coming over to help me practice tomorrow, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Shane waved over his shoulder, grabbing West by the forearm. "C'mon."

"I can _walk_ ," West laughed as Shane pulled them through the door.

"Not so sure about that," Shane grumbled, the door closing behind them. The girls heard loud footsteps and West laughing as the two disappeared down the hall.

Hana had her head tilted towards the door. "What's up?" Nialle smiled, Leaning up from Emmy's lap.

"It's just…" Hana sighed, grinning. "Shane isn't usually so _playful_. I mean, he takes everything so seriously that it's just.. Odd I guess," Hana pulled on her bow, tightening it in her hair. "You really changed him," Hana looked over to Emmy, "You know that?"

Emmy chuckled, glancing at the door before looking back at Hana. "We'll see if it was for better or for worse."

Hana laughed, standing up and dusting off her auburn sweater. "I'm sure _any_ change with Shane is for the better at this point." She leaned down to give Emmy a little hug, then turned to Nialle with her hand extended. "It was great to meet you!"

"Right back atcha," Nialle shook the girl's hand, a large smile on her face. "It's nice to know who Emmy's spending all her time with these days."

"Hey, I've known Hana longer than you," Emmy laughed, shoving Nialle's shoulder.

Nialle fluttered her lashes. "That doesn't make me any less important," she joked, making Emmy roll her eyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow Hana," Emmy waved.

Hana nodded, turning to the door. "Oh! Don't forget, we're holding a Nario Kart tournament for fun with Hidden Block in 4 days. We're meeting in Room AA135."

"I'll be there, don't worry," Emmy smiled, Hana saying goodbye as she left the room.

"So," Nialle said, looping her arms around Emmy's neck and leaning her head on her shoulder. "What were you and Shane talking about?"

Emmy flushed, looking towards the door. "Just rearranging plans," she muttered, placing a hand over Nialle's. "He wanted to hang out with West for a bit so they could talk."

"And you wanted to hang out with me?" Naille cooed. "That's so sweet of you!"

"Oh shut up," Emmy laughed, pushing on Nialle's chest to roll her onto her back. "Shane thought you'd be more willing to watch a movie with me than he was."

Nialle laughed, pulling Emmy down to the floor with her. "Of course I am," she said, swinging her leg around to that she was laying on top of Emmy. The girl let out her air with a huff.

" _Ow_ ," Emmy sighed, her arms attempting to push Nialle off. Nialle had her arms crossed over Emmy's chest, her chin nestled on her forearms. "You're pushing on my uterus."

Nialle's laugh rung out loud in the silent room, Emmy joining in as Nialle slowly rolled to Emmy's side.

"It's true!" Emmy snorted, holding her sides. "Come _on_ , let's put on a movie."

"Aww, but I liked hanging out on the itchy, dirty carpet," Nialle said sarcastically, standing up to pull Emmy up with her. Emmy rolled her eyes again, walking over to the closet to pull out the TV stored inside. "How come you don't have anything in that one, but the other closet's full of crap?" Nialle pointed out, helping Emmy carry it over to the desk. She started hooking up the disk player as Emmy pushed to couch forward.

"Well, that closet's more of a future storage," Emmy said, pushing at the sides of the couch. "My parents are going to send a bunch of stuff from our house in Germany here since I'm staying here over the summer."

"Wait, _what?!_ You're not going home?!" Nialle questioned, poking her head out from behind the TV.

Emmy shrugged, walking to her bed to grab her blanket and throw it onto the couch. "My dad's always busy with work and my mom won't be home for the summer," she said, kneeling next to Nialle to glance over the TV. "Are you?"

"Well, probably. It depends where 'home' is at that point," Nialle pushed the final wire in, causing a flicker on the screen to reveal the movie's home menu screen. "There's a whole war going on near my home, you know. A lot of terrorism in neighboring states, our allies burning up our terrain in hopes of weeding them out, my mom's not sure if they'll all still be there by the time I graduate."

Emmy reached out, stroking Nialle's upper arm gently. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, grabbing Nialle's hand to tug her closer. "If they ever need somewhere to go, let me know. I promise my family can do something."

"What could they _possibly_ do to save my family? _Your_ country hasn't really been helping us much at all," Nialle hissed, crossing her arms. "Neither has Owen's. They're supposed to be saving my people, taking them somewhere safe, but all they've done is draw _them_ closer and destroy our cities in the process… I've already lost my uncle, and I'm scared I'm going to lose the rest of them too."

"Nialle, look at me," Emmy begged, placing the back of her fingers on Nialle's cheek. The girl glanced over, inviting Emmy to talk. "I know it's hard- no, harder than just hard- but you have to believe me when I say that I don't support my country's decisions. And I;m really sorry I brought this up, because this is obviously a sensitive topic."

Nialle looked at her lap, placing her hand over Emmy's with a sigh. "I know _you_ don't. I'm sorry for lashing out. It's just that Owen, she-"

Suddenly, the door swung open, slamming against the wall it was hinged to. Where the door once stood, a girl was standing, a hood pulled up over her head and a bag over her shoulder. Her hair had fallen over her face most of the way, so she blew it out of the way.

"You know, when I said to, quote, "Go fuck your girlfriend", I didn't mean it literally, right?"

…

 **The_Author has entered** **EarGloEmSa-RouERROR-[TERM] from [null]**

…

' **TheAuthor' added message**

 **{"I'm back bitches."}**


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